Sakakku
by DarkShadowFlame
Summary: [AU] It's been a year since Marik and Bakura gained control of the world. The Pharaoh and his Puzzle are missing his friends are either imprisoned or in hiding. But none of them are weak, and all are willing to fight.
1. Prologue

Sakakku

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Disclaimer: No, I don't own YuGiOh, and I won't ever own it, so you can stop asking and I'll stop telling. Translation: I'm not going to write it in future chapters.

Pairings: Yes, there will be a bit of romance; mostly fluff. Joey/Mai; fluffy _hints_ of Yugi/Serenity and Shadi/Ishizu. I'll also be messing with Duke/Serenity/Tristan, just because it's funny. Lotsa friendship, too, that you could interpret as love. There will be a sequel in which all bets are off.

Notes: Although this is an AU, it begins in a real scene from an episode. That is, when Yugi and the possessed Joey are dueling… there's one minute left on the clock. Malik is the hikari, Marik is the yami.

To the best of my knowledge, _sakakku_ means false impressions or confusion. Thanks to Dragon's 1 Girl for getting me this information, thanks to Dragon's 1 Girl's friend for giving it to her! Why did I choose this title? Because I believe that I'll be giving my readers a lot of false impressions. And possibly causing a lot of confusion. o.O

This whole story/outline was rewritten twice because it was too close to someone else's. I would say it's extremely different now to anything I've seen. If it's close to something I haven't seen, well, you can't really blame me for that, can you?

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Prologue

xXx

Téa closed her eyes, willing herself not to despair. But what could she do? She was virtually a _prisoner_, completely helpless, strapped down to a chair and forced to watch two of her best friends duel each other. What's more… Joey wasn't himself. He was being controlled by Malik, and Yugi couldn't help him break free!

Joey laughed a laugh that was not his own. "I'll play the card that will destroy you, Pharaoh," he said in a disembodied voice. "Meteor of Destruction!"

The Joey-who-was-not-Joey lifted his stolen arm high in the air, and the sky opened up. Téa fixed her gaze on it, trying not to stare, but feeling tears blur her vision anyway.

"Joey!" Yugi called to his friend. "Joey, can you hear me?" His only answer was yet another cruel laugh.

"Yugi!" Téa cried in horror. He glanced up to see the direct assault speeding towards him.

"Activate Mystical Ref Panel!" he cried, throwing up his arm to protect from the scorching heat. Abruptly, the card threw its projection out, forcing the attack back. Joey's possessed eyes frowned in sudden disbelief.

"No!" he cried angrily, rearing his head back. But then a thought seemed to strike his controller, and he moved his head forward again. "You wouldn't harm this body," Malik's voice mocked through Joey's mouth.

"Joey," Yugi whispered. "I know you're in there somewhere." He glanced at the clock… five seconds. "I know you'll break through," he whispered. "Mystical Ref Panel! The target of the attack is me!"

Téa cried out, only dimly aware of the shrieks from the others on the dock, as the attack hit Yugi in a swirl of blinding light. She strained against her bindings, trying to peer through the smoke.

Yugi's life-points hit zero and a small box opened up at Joey's feet. Casually, almost as an afterthought, Malik ordered Joey to release himself from the chains. "Unlock yourself and bring the Puzzle to me," he commanded, his voice thick with victory.

Joey obediently unlocked himself, the clock reset at thirty seconds. "Yes, Master Malik," he said in the same disembodied voice.

"Mutt!" Seto Kaiba barked for the first time. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Big brother?" Serenity called out, her voice filled with fear. She reached for her bandages, but Téa stopped her. "Don't, Serenity! Something's wrong with Joey!" Serenity gasped and moved her hands away. "Big brother!" she called again, body shaking with sobs.

xXx

Joey was lost. Voices everywhere… friendly voices, taunting voices… but there were two that stuck out. "Joey, you're in there somewhere," a boy whispered.

And elsewhere… "Bring the Millennium Puzzle to _me_," the voice said, dripping with greed. "You're my mind-slave and will do as I wish!"

"Joey? _Joey_!"

He blinked once… twice… on his own!

"_YUGI_!" he cried. The golden eye that had appeared on his forehead shattered with incredible force. Those on the docks ducked as a fierce wind swept by… and on the wind, a voice filled with anger.

"_What? Noooo…_"

"Yugi!" Joey cried desperately, looking at the clock. Five seconds. Four. Three.

He did the only thing he could think to do.

_Two.___

He hurled the Millennium Puzzle with all his strength over to where Yugi probably lay, buried under the smoke.

_ONE.___

xXx

Malik never found the body of the Pharaoh, or the Millennium Puzzle. In his fury, he called his darker side out - the true Marik, who proceeded to lock his hikari away for the time being. Marik then found Slifer the Sky Dragon lying carelessly on what remained of the dock.

His partner - the spirit of the Millennium Ring, called Bakura - showed up at the site of Yugi's alleged death a few minutes afterwards, challenging Seto Kaiba to a duel. Seto accepted, but was shaken too badly to retain his concentration. It was a rare occurrence that Seto Kaiba lost a duel, and no one really believed it when Marik and Bakura held their three won God Cards aloft in the sky with triumph, while the proud CEO fell to his knees.

Their friends scattered in the days that followed. They traveled in groups of one and two for protection. Most of them were found, although some were allowed to remain free. Others were taken to Egypt, where Marik and Bakura centered their attack on the world.

The world fell quickly without the Pharaoh to defend it. No one believed the threat was really coming until it was too late.

Duel Monsters became a privilege. Only those of high prestige were allowed to retain dueling decks and dueling disks. It also turned into an upper-class _hobby_; played for sport. The real power lay in Marik and Bakura's hand-picked guards, the Rare Hunters, who practiced the Shadow Realm Summonings. It soon grew that no one could stand against them, and the world turned the way they envisioned it; much like Egypt 5,000 years ago.

A new, dark era had fallen.

xXx

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Notes: I hope that went smoothly. Try writing a world takeover in 1000 words or less… () Anyway, I'm going to love working on this fic; it's so different than anything I've done before!


	2. Chapter 1

Sakkaku

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Chapter 1

xXx

Joey had had to live with the horrible knowledge that he had killed Yugi for almost a year now. Even if it had not been his mind, it had been his hand that spelled out his doom. Because of his weakness… his best friend was gone. Gone. Dead.

He almost felt like he _deserved_ this punishment. A mere week after the duel, one of the Rare Hunters had found him and brought him to Egypt. He was thrown in the dungeons of the palace that Marik and Bakura had claimed.

He wasn't starved or tortured physically, but mentally he was slowly dying. Yugi was dead, his friends and his sister were gone. He didn't know what had happened to any of them, with the exception of Téa. He'd heard that she had already been in the palace when he was brought here. He hoped she was being kept in a nicer place then this.

He kicked aside a rat.

Speaking of rats… the one he really wanted to be kicking was the one standing outside his cell, smirking. In one hand he was holding Joey's usual meal of bread, soup, and water. In the other, he was holding Joey's dueling deck.

Joey ground his teeth, willing himself to use the patience he'd been forced to learn. Every day this happened. The Rare Hunter in charge of the prisoners had claimed his deck as his own… and Joey didn't want to imagine the horrible uses his monsters had been put to once they were summoned from the Shadow Realm. Once, he'd caught a glimpse of the Flame Swordsman cleaning off his sword, looking back at Joey with a look of utmost sorrow.

He didn't have to think very hard about what could have been on the sword.

He did wonder from time to time why he hadn't been killed, or sent to the Shadow Realm. He still didn't know why, other than the troubling reason that Bakura and Marik enjoyed watching him suffer.

He ate in silence.

xXx

Téa was sitting in her usual position when Odion unlocked and entered her room with a tray of food. She had, indeed, gotten a far better room than Joey's small, dank cell. Marik and Bakura had allowed her to be put into an actual bedroom, and provided her with rather nice flowing robes.

The girl was sitting cross-legged on the bed, garbed in one of these snow-white robes when Odion approached her. Simple jewelry adorned her arms and throat. "Hello," she sighed, accepting the tray. They had done this hundreds of times, ever since Odion had requested to personally serve her. "Any news?"

"No," he said sadly. They had done _this_ hundreds of times as well. "Joey survives."

She bit her lip and nodded, offering him a slice of white bread. He accepted, sitting gingerly next to her. "No news on the others, then?" she asked.

"None of them," he responded.

"None of them," she repeated. "I hope they're okay."

"I have faith in them," Odion said, staring at the wall. "And I have faith in Master Marik and Master Bakura."

"We say this every day," she said, a sob catching in her throat.

He closed his eyes. "And we will continue to say it," he told her firmly, "until their good is unlocked once more."

They ate the rest of the meal in silence.

xXx

"A toast!" Bakura said delightedly to Marik.

"For what?" the man laughed.

"For taking over the world, what else?" the white-haired spirit laughed. Though, the term 'spirit' could not really be applied here anymore. With the magic of their Millennium Items, they had separated their bodies from their hikaris. The 'weaklings,' as they called them, had been lucky enough to earn a whole wing of the palace. Bakura and Marik took better care of them than most prisoners, at least, each refusing to admit tenderness.

"As always," Marik said with a demonic grin, clinking his glass with Bakura's.

They ate the meal in rowdy happiness and noise.

xXx

"Blue Eyes," Seto Kaiba murmured, studying his three greatest beasts. They lay spread out in front of him on his desk, the rest of the dueling deck set carefully to the side. "You've never let me down before."

He picked up the middle Blue Eyes and turned to face the center of the room. He held the card before him, as he would hold a weapon. "Come forth!" he commanded in a ringing voice.

A black vortex appeared… swirling. A dragon's roar echoed faintly. Wingbeats sounded. And finally…

The Blue Eyes White Dragon swooped out of the path to the Shadow Realm, pounding its feet firmly on the floor. Seto let out a gasp and sunk to the floor. The dragon turned to look at him, almost tenderly.

"You've done well, Blue Eyes," he said, holding out the card. "You may retreat now."

He closed his eyes to shield against the white light. When he opened them again, the Blue Eyes was gone.

He dragged his body to Mokuba's couch, the one he kept in his office for his playful younger brother. He allowed himself to collapse on it, breathing heavily. Shadow Realm summoning was so much harder than he'd imagined. He thought that the Rare Hunters could only do it because they had the power of three Millennium Items on their side.

Three… for a moment, he allowed his mind to wander. No one was supposed to know much about the Millennium Items, but as soon as he found out it was restricted information, he went searching. Marik and Bakura possessed the Millennium Ring, Rod, and Eye. They would have the Millennium Puzzle as well, but Wheeler had thrown it in the water. There it was lost, along with the body of the so-called Pharaoh. The other three Millennium Items had apparently been gathered by Marik's sister and that Egyptian, Shadi, and taken away. Seto didn't know where… but neither, apparently, did Marik or Bakura. For that he could be thankful, at least.

In any case, he'd been practicing the art of summoning monsters from the Shadow Realm. Dueling had become a plaything for the rich, and a weapon for the dark. Seto wanted to be prepared for the eventual day when he would have to fight. And he was afraid that day would come far too fast.

With a sigh, he gathered up his deck and stowed it in his pocket. He headed outside to go find Mokuba. They needed to have an important talk. Seto knew he was under suspicion.

Marik and Bakura would be coming for him before long.

xXx

Far out in the middle of the desert was an oasis. This one was larger than most, and had been the home to the two boys for many months now. They had been pulled from a watery death by an old friend… someone they hadn't expected to see.

"I wonder what happened to Mako?" Yugi mused sadly as he splashed a bit of water on his face. The water rippled, then stilled. Next to him, he saw his yami's face reflected in the water. He'd always been able to see his reflection, but just recently had he and Yami gained separate bodies, using the power of the Millennium Puzzle. He glanced over at his yami's physical form, seeing the worry in his eyes.

"We haven't heard from _anyone_," Yami responded sadly.

"He saved our lives," Yugi said somberly, remembering…

_Yugi grabbed the Millennium Puzzle and managed to fix it around his neck before the anchor dropped, plunging him into the sea. He flailed helplessly for so long, sinking… sinking… his lungs were about to burst._

_Then, out of nowhere, a hand reached out. Impossible muscles snapped the chain around his leg, and the same strong arm towed him up to the surface._

_He took in great gulps of water as the man dragged him behind a ship. In the distance, he heard sounds of… another duel?_

_His eyes finally focused… "Mako?" he coughed. "Mako Tsunami?"_

_The black-haired sea duelist gave him a warm smile while pounding him on the back. Then his face darkened… "Yugi? What in the seven seas happened?"_

_Joey's voice floated across the waters… "COME ON, KAIBA!" he hollered. "DON'T LET THAT BAKURA SCUM BEAT YOU! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"_

_Yugi's eyes widened. "Joey is free…" he mumbled. "But why is he rooting for _Kaiba_? What's going on? Why is he calling Bakura scum?"_

_As he hastily summed up the situation to Mako, trying to peek around the ship, awful cries reached his ears. Dragon roars, beastly shrieks of pain… and the worst._

_"HE'S GOT KAIBA'S GOD CARD!" Téa shrieked, her voice showing utmost fear._

_"OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!__ I SUMMON YOU TO THE FIELD NOW!" Bakura's triumphant roar._

_"Oh… gods…" Yugi breathed. Mako stared solemnly._

_Things happened in a whir. Bakura and Marik, holding aloft the three God cards triumphantly. Mako, dragging Yugi off to safety in an abandoned warehouse. Days of waiting for news… then Mako's decision._

_"They're taking over the world," he told Yugi seriously, dark blue eyes flashing. "I have to find my father. It's more important than ever now!"_

_Yugi's eyes filled with tears. "Good luck, Mako," he said, sniffling._

_A few days after that, Yugi and Yami made their slow way to Egypt, hiding out in the middle of the boiling desert.__ They recognized that there was nothing they could do but wait. Wait for an opportunity to fight back._

They'd made good use of their time, at least, exploring the mysteries of the Millennium Puzzle. They learned the art of illusions just in time to put up a barrier of water when the tomb robber came exploring. Bakura had apparently previously transferred a portion of his spirit to the Puzzle, and the two had discovered this just in time. They threw up a widespread illusion of water, death… _drowning_, and when Bakura moved into the Puzzle he assumed that they were truly dead. He checked back several times, but eventually withdrew his spirit entirely from the Puzzle piece.

Later on, they'd figured out how to separate bodies. The two of them had lived in this oasis for a long time now, starving for information.

"He did save us," Yami agreed, breaking Yugi out of his reverie. The young hikari reached up and grabbed his yami's hand.

"I don't know what will happen," he whispered when Yami looked down at him in surprise. Yami's face relaxed, then hardened into the familiar fighting mask.

"Someday we'll fight back," Yami vowed.


	3. Chapter 2

Sakakku

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Notes: Don't worry, they won't actually say things like this. ::sweatdrop:: I'm so weird.

/_You're absolutely insane_/ = Ryou talking to Bakura

_I know_= Bakura talking to Ryou

I'll specify in future chapters if yamis and hikaris talk through the mindlink. (Which they obviously keep)

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Chapter 2

The one-year anniversary of Marik and Bakura's defeat of Yami and Yugi.

xXx

"The Pharaoh is still alive?"

Joey bolted off the shelf he slept on and hit the floor hard. He was up again in a second, rushing to the bars of the cell and shoving on them. "_Yugi_?" he demanded. Oh, the _dreams_…

The rat guard who had his deck sneered at him contemptuously. His companion, a shorter, fatter guard, and the man who voiced the question, simply gaped at him.

Rat Guard spit. "Well, if he is, he won't be for long," he threatened. "Masters Marik and Bakura have got guards out combing the desert for the Pharaoh."

"How do they know he's out there?" Pudgy Guard asked.

Rat Guard narrowed his eyes. "Marik and Bakura are feeling some Shadow Magic," he hissed. "Way out in the desert. Powerful Shadow Magic, too. Only the Pharaoh would be stupid enough to use powerful Shadow Magic like that, where anyone with a Millennium Item could sense him."

"It's not those other two magicians, then?" Pudgy Guard asked.

Rat Guard shook his head. "Ishizu Ishtar and Shadi are smarter then that," he said in a low voice. "But I'd bet you my deck-"

_My__ deck,_ Joey thought, feeling the anger bubble up within him.

"I'd bet you my deck that the Pharaoh doesn't realize that Marik and Bakura can sense him," Rat Guard finished triumphantly.

Joey bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. This was too much to take right now.

"Ah," Pudgy Guard nodded. Then, after a pause: "Did you hear that they're going after Seto Kaiba now?"

Joey sunk to the floor. _No… not Kaiba too…_

"He is practicing Shadow Magic, then?" Rat Guard asked in interest.

Pudgy Guard nodded his head. "They've been feeling magic coming from his place for _ages_," he said importantly. "But it was so weak they thought it was nothing. But seems Kaiba's gotten a bit stronger… nothing the Rare Hunters can't handle, of course. They're going over there as we speak."

Rat Guard snorted. "Should I prepare Mr. Wheeler for a roommate?" he asked mockingly, gesturing at the neighboring cell.

Pudgy Guard let out a snicker. "Not this time," he said ominously. "Mr. Kaiba's got himself a one-way ticket to the Shadow Realm."

Joey jumped off the ground, eyes blazing, ready to throw himself at the bars of the cage, anything to get at them, anything to rip their heads off…

But he stopped. The two guards looked at him in alarm, then began snickering at his pitiful attempts to get at them. He didn't care. His attention was focused wholly on the space in between and behind their shoulders.

The Flame Swordsman was hovering there. Transparent, not fully summoned. But he locked his gaze with Joey's.

He held up one finger. He mouthed two words.

_Tonight, Master_.

xXx

"One whole year of utter domination," Bakura said contentedly, leaning back after his feast. Marik smirked happily as well.

"We are truly Masters," he said, grabbing a small plum and viscously biting half of it off.

Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but an odd expression flickered across his face.

_/Bakura/_

_What do you want, weakling?_ he snarled, enraged that his hikari would use their mindlink to talk to him like this. Especially when he was celebrating!

A mental sigh. _/Bakura, you've sent Rare Hunters after the Pharaoh/_

_I know damn well what I've done! Why are you disturbing me?_

Ryou hesitated. _/You can't/_ he said finally.

_What in the SHADOW REALM are you talking about?_

And then it hit. Ryou's mental assault. Shocked, and taken completely by surprise, Bakura howled and fell back in the chair. Dimly, he registered Marik doing the same thing next to him, the plum juices leaking out of his mouth and staining his robe.

_Ry…Ryou… what are you…_

He couldn't even complete the thought. Where had his hikari learned such power? Ryou was close to permanently crippling him! It was the thought of the humiliation more than anything that made him mentally wrestle back, made him take full control of the two Millennium Rings he and the boy possessed.

He felt Ryou fall back, and for a moment he had a full vision of his hikari lying exhausted on the bed. Next to him sat Malik, obviously at the end of his own mental tolerance.

Bakura stood up and briskly strode over to Marik, dealing him a quick slap on the face. The Egyptian blinked his eyes and shook his head violently.

A scowl crossed over both their faces as their eyes met. As one, they jumped up and raced out of the eating hall.

xXx

"My head," Ryou moaned. Malik stirred beside him.

"We tried, Ryou," he said sadly. "We tried to help Yami and Yugi."

The snow-haired boy rubbed his head, feeling close to tears. "Why?" he burst out.

Malik, knowing exactly what he meant, could do nothing more than shake his head. After a moment, he spoke up. "Should we hide or something?"

Ryou groaned. "They're coming, aren't they?"

Malik nodded, drooping his head. "I'll go into my room, at least," he sighed. "It's probably best if they're not together when we have to face them."

He exited Ryou's chambers and went into the hall leading into his own, stopping to close the door behind them. Ryou watched forelonely, wondering if it was worth it to hide. Bakura would find him, and it would probably just make him angrier, so he settled for burrowing under the blankets on his bed.

Unwillingly, Ryou's body quivered when his yami flung open the door and strode into the room. "Ryou!" he barked, making his way directly to the bed and yanking the sheets off the poor boy. He leaned over maliciously, forcing his hikari to look at him in the eye.

"What was that?" he demanded, though his voice lacked… something. Perhaps he was mentally exhausted, just as Ryou was.

"You're… hurting people," Ryou said, his body collapsing. He rolled over on his back and stared up at his yami pleadingly. There was a chance his pitiful looks and aura of submission would have some effect on Bakura. "Malik and I don't want that to happen."

Bakura snorted. "Since when did _Malik_ go all soft?" he asked rhetorically. "Well, Marik is dealing with him. Listen, Ryou," he said, moving over to the side of the bed suddenly. He placed two strong hands on each of Ryou's arms, and the boy let out a small, frightened noise. Bakura smirked at this, and placed his face very close to his hikari's, baring his unnaturally sharp canines. "You want to worry about yourself first in this world," he breathed dangerously. Mentally exhausted and utterly terrified, Ryou simply nodded yes, closing his eyes in defeat.

Bakura eyed the boy for a moment. His hikari was pitiful… and yet, somehow the sight of the snow-haired boy touched his heart. "You're mine, you know," he whispered, leaning over to speak in the boy's ear. "It's because of me that you're still alive. I _own_ you."

"You… you can't own a person," Ryou managed to whisper, though his eyes were now wide with fear.

_I own you, hikari_ Bakura simply said again, switching to speaking mentally. _I can do _whatever I want _with you_

Ryou panicked and tried to flail his arms about, but Bakura's muscular ones were still gripping him tightly.

_/Let me go!/_ Ryou said wildly.

Bakura rolled his eyes. Maybe the boy had grown some spunk, but he had to say, Ryou was still pathetic. He released one of Ryou's arms, swiftly dodged the frantically moving hand, and dealt his hikari a swift blow across the face.

Ryou didn't move for a while after that. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. For some odd reason, Bakura felt his heart pounding against his chest as he gazed down on the boy and something flickered inside of him.

But he'd be _damned_ if he apologized to the weakling!

Bakura growled and wheeled around, heading quickly out of the room. At the door, however, he paused and looked back. Ryou had sat up on the bed, looking frightened and nervous and confused and lonely.

"You are _mine_. I can do whatever I want with you… and that includes killing you _slowly_ and _painfully_. Do not attempt to cross me again," he hissed before storming away.

xXx

"Mokuba," Seto said somberly, forcing his little brother to look up from eating and pay attention to him.

"What's up, big brother?" the young boy asked, sounding confused and apprehensive, spotting something in Seto's eye.

He exhaled and looked away. "I have to leave," he said bluntly.

Mokuba dropped his fork on the plate with a clatter. "Leave to do what?" he asked immediately.

"Fight."

There was silence for a long time. "I'm coming with you," Mokuba announced firmly.

"No!" Seto said immediately.

"I want to help you!" Mokuba countered, standing up and placing his hands on the table.

"If you want to help me, stay here!" Seto said firmly back, not rising. "I'll know you're safe. And you can throw the Rare Hunters off my trail."

Mokuba hesitated. Seto stared at him intensely for a few minutes, then continued. "You stay here. I'm leaving tonight. Tomorrow morning, you send a letter to Marik and Bakura."

"What?" Mokuba exclaimed, but Seto determinedly pushed on.

"You tell them that I'm a traitor, but you're loyal. If you rat me out soon enough, they'll believe it. You tell them that you think I went after Yami. _I believe he is still alive._

"Mokuba, listen. You know the magic I've never believed in? The stories Yami told us on the helicopter that day?" He took a deep breath. "It's true. I've been doing my research. Yami is the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi's Other Half, and the rightful Pharaoh.

"You tell Marik and Bakura that I'm looking for Yami to restore him to power, and to bring the two of them down. Tell them that for the last few days, I've been acting strangely, researching the desert, looking at maps of Egypt. I have been, so don't worry about letting them check my library." Books were all he had now, due to the stripping away of most technology.

"But…" Mokuba began, helpless.

"I'm not going after Yami," Seto cut in sharply. "I'm going right to the palace. I have to find that mutt, Wheeler. I'm afraid that they'll use him as bait for Yami, whenever the Pharaoh decides to come out and fight."

"But…" Mokuba continued, staring at Seto with tear-filled eyes. "Big brother… I want you to be safe."

Seto knelt down and gave his little brother a tight hug. "I'll be okay," he whispered to Mokuba. "You just take care of yourself. Call Duke and Tristan if you're in trouble, okay?"

"But you _hate_ them," Mokuba protested, forgetting his worry in disbelief. "Come to think of it, you hate Joey, too!"

"The only ones I hate are Marik and Bakura," Seto said grimly. "Now's not the time to hold petty grudges."

With these words, he swept out the door silently. Mokuba watched him go, tears falling down his cheeks, wondering when his private world had come shattering down.

He came to the realization that it had been exactly one year ago.

xXx

Everything was quiet in the dungeons. Rat Guard, the only Rare Hunter in the dungeon, was asleep. Joey watched him intently… or more specifically, the deck hanging from his side.

He closed his eyes and stretched out a hand. He'd never performed a Shadow Realm summoning before, but hey. There was a first time for everything.

The purple aura surrounding the Flame Swordsman appeared first, and Joey was surprised at how naturally it came to him. Within seconds, the broad figure of the Flame Swordsman materialized in the middle of the room.

Joey would have liked to take a few seconds to bask in triumph, maybe do a private victory dance, but the Swordsman had other plans. Two swift strokes of the sword sent the bars of his cell tumbling to the ground. Joey cringed, realizing the noise they would make when clattering against the stone, but when the bars struck the floor they simply sunk into it. Joey raised his eyebrows. "Neat trick," he whispered.

"Master," the Flame Swordsman said, bowing.

Master… hee hee, that sounded pretty good. A lot better than 'mutt', that was for sure!

…wait. Why was he thinking of Seto Kaiba _now_? Come to think of it, why was he thinking of Seto Kaiba at all?

"Master, you must leave quickly," the Flame Swordsman said urgently. It was then that Joey realized the monster's lips weren't moving. He winced a little; some things were just too freaky to deal with all at once! "They can sense the Shadow Magic being used here."

The words sunk in to Joey and his eyes grew wide. Quickly, he scrambled out of the cell. He grabbed his deck; and, as an afterthought, the keys to the door from Rat Guard. When he turned around again… the Flame Swordsman was gone.

"I didn't get a chance to thank him," Joey mumbled as he set off down the hall. "Or tell him how sorry I am he has to wear that dress. I remember wearing that… man, an hour was enough for me…"

Being imprisoned for a year did little to quench Joey's spirit.

xXx

In the desert:

Yami's eyes snapped open. As one, he and Yugi jumped up from their sleep by the water. The dreams…

"They're coming," Yugi said, wide-eyed. "Marik and Bakura know we're alive and out here somewhere. We must have let down our guard when we were practicing Shadow Realm Summonings."

Yami nodded somberly. "We cannot hide any longer, Yugi."

xXx

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Notes: My writing can be extremely melodramatic at times. The scene with Bakura and Ryou? Totally lame melodrama. I can't stand it. Rewrote the stupid section five times before giving up.


	4. Chapter 3

Sakakku

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Notes: This chapter there will be mindlink speech between Yugi and Yami

/_Crazy pharaoh…_/ = Yugi to Yami

_Is that an insult?/_/ = Yami to Yugi

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Chapter 3

xXx

"We'll have to wear the same cloaks as before," Yugi said, taking a few quick steps to keep up with Yami's longer strides. "The same ones we wore when we first snuck out to the desert, right? To keep from being noticed? I mean, we're kind of hard to miss."

Yami smiled a bit, turning to face him. He noticed Yugi struggling to keep up with his quicker pace and slowed down a little. Yugi grasped his hand again, beaming up at him. Yami quickly turned his head away; Yugi was quite fond of holding hands, but the Pharaoh always felt strange; it was a tradition unfamiliar to him. "Yes," he spoke, gazing across the barren desert, "we'll hide under the cloaks. Good thing you decided to bring a spare."

"I never thought we'd have separate bodies," Yugi said breathlessly, squeezing Yami's hand. "It felt so strange at first! But I'm glad we did! And I'm glad we kept the mindlink." He gave Yami a look full of pure adoration, and the Pharaoh closed his eyes briefly, thinking about how childlike Yugi was. He renewed the vow he said every day: He would protect Yugi to the death.

What he saw as they reached the top of the sand dune gave him hope. "Look, Yugi!" he said, dropping the boy's hand and pointing. "There's a village over there!"

"It was this close?" Yugi exclaimed. "We were only walking a couple hours! Good thing no one from the village ever knew how close the oasis was; they might have gone there for a water supply and found us!"

"We should probably put the cloaks on now," Yami said reluctantly, looking up at the burning sun. "It'll be hot, but we can't risk anyone seeing us."

"Okay!" Yugi said cheerfully, setting down the cloth bag. It contained all their possessions: the few changes of clothes Yugi had brought, the two cloaks, his dueling deck, and a few water canteens. It was light, and Yugi had insisted on taking turns carrying it.

They pulled on their cloaks, and Yami tucked the hood over his head well, making sure his face was in shadow. Yugi, however, kept it back. He knelt down, staring at the deck.

"Ah," Yami said softly, seeing Yugi's troubled face. "I am unsure what to do with it as well. I have a feeling, however, that traditional dueling has been outlawed. If the deck is to help us, it will be by the strength of the individual monsters, and the Shadow Realm Summonings."

"You better take it," Yugi declared, handing it to Yami. "I think you'll need it. You're the one they're after, remember?"

"Yugi!" Yami protested. "I don't want to leave you unprotected."

"I have you, Yami," Yugi said, smiling up at his darker half. "I know you'll always protect me!"

The Pharaoh's breath caught in his throat. "I will always try, Yugi," he said quietly. "But just in case…" he leafed through the deck quickly. "Here. Take Joey's card." He held out the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

"Oh…" Yugi murmured, taking it. "Okay. Maybe that's a good idea…" He sighed and tucked it carefully in his pocket as Yami slid his deck in its usual place. "I wonder where Joey is?"

Yami nodded toward the village as Yugi finally pulled the hood over his hair. "I suppose we'll find out there, if there's any news at all."

xXx

The village was quiet, the people docile. Yami and Yugi glanced around nervously as the dull faces as they made their way down what passed for a street. "I don't like it here," Yugi whispered, reaching up to grab Yami's hand tightly again. This time, the Pharaoh didn't feel uncomfortable; he clung to his hikari's small hand as well.

"We need to find someone," he whispered back, glancing around. "Anyone."

"What have we here?" a voice called. Yugi let out a small squeak and jumped, while Yami spun swiftly around. A toothless old woman was sitting on a small, dirty porch in front of her house, giving them a sad, soft look. "Are you two brothers?" she asked, looking from face to face, causing Yugi to smile faintly. "What made you decide to come to this here village?"

"It… was… close?" Yami offered, trying to figure out how to cover his tracks well. It wasn't something he was particularly good at; he'd never put much stock in lying.

To his surprise, the old woman didn't seem to think his response was strange. She blew out a breath and nodded her head: "There don't seem to be much reason for anything nowadays. Might as well be here, eh? Just the same as everywhere else."

Yugi's fingers abruptly fell slack and dropped from Yami's grasp. The boy hunched over as if physically hit. Yami put an arm around him, feeling almost the same way. _Everywhere else_? He'd known it in his head before, but he was just now understanding in his heart.

"Still," the woman continued, smiling softly at the way Yami was bracing Yugi, "we've got some things to be thankful for."

"Like what?" Yugi spoke up bitterly for the first time.

No… the bitterness, the anger in Yugi's voice! It was too much to take. _Don't lose your hope, hikari. It is all we have left_

Yugi turned slightly to look at him; the only thing showing under his dark hood was a pair of large, glittering, violet eyes. The woman went on: "Well, we're free at least." She laughed sadly a moment. "I'd rather be out here than in Marik and Bakura's prison, I guess."

Yugi was silent. Yami asked tentatively, "there are people in their prison?"

"You mean, people they haven't sent to the Shadow Realm yet?" the woman asked, laughing without humor. "There are a few I know of. Wheeler, Redback, Fuller, Gardner, Yashine, and Hutchinson," she rattled off.

Most of the names weren't familiar, but Yugi let out faint whimpers at two of them. Wheeler and Gardner. Joey and Téa. _Hikari?_

/_I don't feel well_/

_Hold on, hikari_

"Good afternoon," Yami said, bowing slightly to the old woman. "We must be going. Thank you for the conversation." He put an arm around Yugi's shoulders and gently urged the boy to move onwards.

"A good day to you," the woman called after them.

/_There won't be any good days ever again_/

_Don't say that, Yugi. Don't give in to the despair; don't give in to the bitterness. We have to stick together and trust to hope. And to each other_

xXx

Tristan woke up late. It seemed that he woke up late every day, that all he did was sleep. He enjoyed that best of all, because sleep was when the dreams came. The dreams of Yugi, and Yami… not one dead person anymore, but two live friends. The dreams of their life in the desert… and the dreams of the day they would return.

But that was all they were: dreams. He wandered slowly out of bed, debating whether he should bathe in the crude waterhole out back, but decided he should wait. No doubt he'd be even more bored later on.

"Up so early?" Duke's sarcastic voice inquired. The black-haired dice duelist was sitting at the kitchen table, pouring over a miniature dice board. He had been allowed this hobby, at least.

Tristan merely grunted, heading over to the cupboard and pulling out a loaf of bread. He moodily sat down with it, across from Duke, and started eating despondently.

"That's all you ever do lately," Duke grumbled, refusing to look at him. "Sleep and eat. Half the time you don't bother to put a shirt on."

Tristan glanced down at his bare chest. "So?"

"You're horrible company!" Duke exclaimed, shoving a die violently away from him. It skidded across the table and landed on the floor. Both boys glanced at it, but neither made a move to pick it up. "And I have to live with you," Duke continued in a low voice.

"Excuse me?" Tristan said, raising his eyebrow. "Are you saying you actually want to have a civilized conversation with me? You weren't exactly Prince Charming to me when we first moved in here." He knew he should be grateful, but somehow he couldn't stop the biting words. Duke had qualified as a privileged duelist, one of the elite. He was allowed to live in nicer conditions than most of the world, and was even allowed to keep his dueling deck. It was also because of his higher status that he was allowed to work on Dungeon Dice Monsters.

Tristan, on the other hand, would have been cast in the same slums as the rest of the world, had Duke not come to his rescue. He'd taken Tristan to live with him, although the two had spent the first full week arguing. (Serenity, naturally, had crept into the conversation at several points)

After that, Tristan had stopped caring. All his friends were gone; what was there to live for? He ignored Duke, ignored responsibility, forgot about everything but what he needed to do to stay alive. He lived in a perpetual state of depression, on the verge of nonexistence.

And it seemed that Duke was getting tired of it. "You have to snap out of it, Tristan," he hissed under his breath. "Maybe I _would_ like to have a civilized conversation with you every once in a while. Maybe I'm getting tired of living with someone who might as well be dead. Maybe I don't like seeing you as practically a walking zombie!"

Tristan lifted his head to give Duke a piercing glare. He met determined emerald eyes, and the boys stared at each other a few long moments.

Tristan was the first to break the stare. "Look…" he mumbled. "I just don't know. What is there to live for, anyway?"

Duke was out of his seat in a flash. "Don't _say_ that!" he demanded. Tristan lifted startled eyes, but quickly lowered them. Duke stood above him, breathing heavily, then abruptly slammed his fist down on the table and stalked out of the room.

Tristan watched him go; he could tell by his footsteps that Duke was headed to his bedroom. He heard the door slam, and after a few moments bent down and picked up the forgotten die. He placed it gently on the board and trudged outside. He might as well bathe now.

xXx

Mai Valentine, crème of the crop, elite duelist. Certainly she would have been classified as privileged duelist, allowed to retain her deck, allowed to live in an upper-class home. But then where would Serenity have gone? For the younger sister of Joey Wheeler was a constant target, and not even the weight of Mai's word could have saved her.

So Mai had given up her identity, and with it her title and rights. She and Serenity lived together, in a small, dirty home in a large, dirty village. They had lost contact with all of their friends; life had become a daily hell, a struggle to survive.

Serenity was clutching the bag of groceries- the small amount of fruit they'd managed to buy. It was a luxury for them. She was careful not to drop it as Mai steered her through the streets, one hand on her shoulder.

For Serenity still could not see. The bandages had never been removed from her face. They were a symbolic sign of mourning for the lost world, for her lost brother. But more than that, it was her secret, one that Mai had suggested and encouraged. It was a tool to ensure that her enemies would always underestimate her. And that might one day prove useful.

As for Mai…

The two of them were headed for their modest house. Mai continued to steer Serenity with one hand, and with the other nervously tugged on the long arm of her pink blouse.

Yes, she still had more than one trick up her sleeve.


	5. Chapter 4

Sakakku

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Chapter 4

xXx

_Nice going, Wheeler_.

Seto lifted a cool hand. The wide-eyed boy who had excitedly told him the news of Joey's escape scampered off, doubtless to gossip with others. Not much interesting happened around here; or anywhere, apparently.

He supposed he should be grateful; it saved him the trouble of having to travel to the palace. But while it was now harder for Marik and Bakura to lay their filthy hands on Wheeler, Seto had no idea where the mutt was. And something inside him said that it was more urgent now than ever. He _had_ to find either Joey or Yami or Yugi (_two people. I referred to Yami and Yugi as two people. The dreams are starting to affect my head), and quickly._

Seto pulled his cowl lower over his eyes and lifted the collar of his black trenchcoat. But what about Téa? She was still in the palace, placing her in a position of danger. He should get her out as quickly as possible… but it would take time! The palace was still a good two or three day's journey away, and every second he wasted the Rare Hunters would be combing the desert. Looking for Wheeler, or for Yugi.

He let out a low growl of frustration- how was he supposed to find either of them anyway? Angrily, he kicked up sand, and watched it swirl away. Some kids were playing with a ball nearby, laughing and shrieking. It was good to hear a happy sound.

Seto Kaiba had never believed in fate, or in destiny. In fact, he prided himself on that. But maybe just this once… he could trust in it. He could count on the fact that someone out there other than him was willing to fight, and willing to help Téa.

As for him, he had to go find a certain puppy dog.

xXx

Oases were few and far between. The only thing in this part of the desert was a rock. The smooth gray surface jutted partway out of the sand, and was home to a particularly fat lizard.

Ishizu had named him Bob. He reminded her of the custodian of the Domino Museum where she had once exhibited.

"Ishizu, you're not hot?" Shadi inquired softly, emerging from the hidden doorway in the shadow of the rock.

"No…" she muttered dreamily. She was sitting cross-legged in the sand under the steaming sun, ignoring the intense heat. All her attention was seemingly focused on Bob as he blinked lazily, but Shadi knew better. The glittering gold object, clutched dearly in her hands, betrayed her true intent. She was focused on the Millennium Necklace.

"Ishizu, you know as well as I that it won't work on command," he reminded her gently, as he did every day. "You must wait. It will show you a vision when the time is right." He extended a hand down in front of her eyes. She looked up slowly, as if surprised, then clasped it. She rose shakily, and a small sob escaped her lips. Immediately she jerked her hand away from Shadi's and clamped it over her mouth, eyes wide.

Shadi watched her desperately fight back tears for a while. She composed herself a little and lifted her hands to fasten the Millennium Necklace around her neck, but her fingers trembled and it fell to the sand. She made no move to pick it up.

So Shadi slowly bent down and scooped it up, moving behind her and fastening it around her slender neck himself, lifting her soft dark hair aside with care. "It's okay to cry," he whispered. He didn't know why he had said that to her. But it seemed right. And Ishizu sunk to her knees, sobbing softly, letting the tears drip to the steaming hot sand. Shadi stood protectively over her, scanning the horizon with empty blue eyes. He felt like he should kneel down with her… but it was so hard to know what to do, to know how to comfort her. So he let the warm breeze wash over him and listened to the small noises Ishizu was making… and then, unexplainably, a cold shiver washed over his body. Beside him, Ishizu rose to her feet quickly- he glanced at her and saw the golden light flashing over her Millennium Necklace.

xXx

"You okay, Ryou?"

Ryou had been lying on the floor of his room, but craned his neck to see Malik leaning in the doorway. "I'm fine," he said flatly.

Malik hesitated, looking at the prone body of the boy. "I didn't come see you last night… I thought you might want to be alone. Marik was really mad. I was afraid Bakura was too."

Ryou shrugged a little. Malik furrowed his elegant brows in concern. "Should I have come? I'm sorry… but you know, you're always welcome to come into my rooms if you need to talk."

"I wanted to be alone."

Malik bit his lip and took a few cautious steps toward Ryou. He sucked in his breath as he noticed the faint red mark on his cheek. "He hit you?"

Ryou sighed, almost inaudibly. "Yes…"

Malik lifted a hand to his own bruises slowly. They'd stopped stinging after a while but were still tender to the touch.

There was silence a moment, then Ryou continued. "But not as hard as he could have. He wasn't as angry as he should have been." With what seemed to be a great effort, the pale boy sat up and turned towards Malik. The blonde boy also walked over and sat across from Ryou, leaning in closely, as if the two were sharing a secret. In a way he felt that they were, and that if they spoke too loudly, Bakura and Marik would hear them.

"Bakura wasn't mad at me," Ryou said again, shuddering a bit as the words passed his lips. "As I was attacking his mind… there was _something_. A cloud of something even darker than Bakura around his body. And he almost felt relieved that I'd shattered that." He glanced up doubtfully at Malik. The purple-eyed boy was staring at him wide-eyed.

"You felt it too…" Malik breathed.

They locked eyes. "This isn't as it seems," Ryou whispered.

"Something else is at work," Malik agreed. "Something else took over our yamis."

"We can't fight it," Ryou said despairingly. "That's what we tried last time."

"Of course we can't fight it," Malik said, voice raising a little in tension, "-we don't even know what it is! It's some _new_ kind of magic…"

A single tear fell from Ryou's eye. When it struck the floor, it seemed to send out ripples. Shadi and Ishizu felt these ripples, and Ishizu's vision of the two boys faded.

xXx

Ishizu quickly recapped the discussion between Ryou and Malik to Shadi. It had been the first vision from her Millennium Necklace in weeks, and it had been crystal clear. She'd almost felt as if she had been in the room with the two boys.

"So Ryou and Malik believe that some other force is controlling the actions of Bakura and Marik," Shadi said, staring past Ishizu and into space. They had moved into the coolness of Shadi's hidden home under the rocks in the desert.

"Oh, little brother," Ishizu whispered. "What has that demon done to you? Why are you still locked up?"

Shadi glanced swiftly at her. "That 'demon', as you call the yami Marik, may not be all he seems," he cautioned. "Is that not what your brother was just proposing?"

She didn't answer him. Ishizu simply lifted her head, almost regally, and stared into a black corner. Shadi's underground home was cool, and well provisioned, and certainly protected them from being discovered by Bakura and Marik; but it truly was a miserable place to be trapped in for a year.

In silence, the two sat for a long while. Shadi was lost in deep thought, but the few moments he glanced up at Ishizu her blue eyes were dark with anger. He wanted to caution her against giving into the unfound hate, but something held him back.

An idea that has been hovering at the back of his mind suddenly hit him, in perfect clarity. He sucked in a sharp breath and rose, beckoning to Ishizu, not wasting time with words. The two of them hurried down another flight of stairs, into the bowels of the earth, to Shadi's ancient library.

"I know exactly where it is," Shadi said, moving swiftly to the middle of the bookshelves. Ishizu stood uncertainly in the dark, until she decided to grab a torch from the brackets lining the hallway. The firelight from the hallway had been the only light in the room, so when she brought the torch into the library it seemed bright as day.

Across the room, a book fell heavily to the floor and Shadi dropped beside it, opening it up to nearly the end. Ishizu hurriedly sat next to him, bringing the torch close to the page.

"I can't read it!"

So annoyed was her tone that Shadi nearly grinned. "Does that frustrate you, Ishizu?" he asked seriously, though his voice held an air of almost _playfullness_.

She turned to glare at him, then at the paper. "Why can't I read it? What language is it?" she asked again, sounding very childlike in her defeat. She crossed her arms defiantly, torch bobbing dangerously.

"It's a forgotten language," Shadi said absently. "I can read it." He bent over the book, a long finger tracing the words. "This section here talks about the three Gods, Ishizu. Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra. Everything here you already know- you've heard the stories, you've studied the myths, you've heeded the warnings." He moved on to the next page. "Aaaah," he said softly. "Here lies the key to our understanding…"

"What?" Ishizu asked, impatient. He afforded her a smile despite the serious conditions, and as he turned obediently back to the book, her eyes lingered on his slender profile.

"The power of the three Gods will be much coveted," Shadi said, voice lowering to a near whisper. "Those who desire to control them will be ever motivated by greed. The closer they come to obtaining the power, the greater the desire shall grow. And once an individual… or a group…"

_Bakura and Marik_

"…control the power of the Three, they will be consumed by shadow."

_Bakura and Marik.__ Not all they seem. A greater force is at work_

A freezing gust of wind swept the library, fluttering the pages of the heavy volume Shadi was crouched over. He glanced up anxiously in time to see the wind sweep the fire of the torch out, and he and Ishizu were plunged into darkness. Just as quickly, a brilliant light emitted from the Millennium Necklace. In the sudden light, before Shadi had to fling a hand over his eyes, he saw that Ishizu's eyes had gone completely blank.

xXx Ishizu's vision:

Obelisk loomed over her, grinning eerily, his teeth flashing. Slifer wound his way overhead, bellowing, a horrid sound that sent shivers down her spine. Behind her, she felt the steamy, acidic breath of Ra.

She fought back a moan and an unexplainable urge to have Shadi by her side- he hadn't left her alone for a year and she suddenly felt unprotected. Gazing upwards slowly, her heart jumped to her throat.

Hovering, heads down, eyes closed, imprisoned in the circle Slifer traced in the sky, surrounded by his body, were Marik and Bakura. A strange aura surrounded them, an aura more easily felt than seen. She put a hand to her mouth then quickly spun right, hearing shouts.

She nearly cried out when she saw her brother, but his gaze was fixed to the sky, where his yami hovered dangerously. Beside Malik was Ryou, and a few steps behind them were all their friends. Yugi and Yami were clutching hands, the Pharaoh's crimson eyes flashing dangerously. Téa and Joey hovered behind them, looking scared but determined. Tristan stood next to Joey, fists clenched, and beside him Duke Devlin. Off to the other side of Duke stood Seto Kaiba, arms crossed, seemingly aloof- but his eyes held a menacing gleam.

Behind Joey, coming up to peer over his shoulder, were Mai Valentine and Serenity Wheeler. A hazy white cloud hovered over Serenity's eyes, but as Ishizu watched Joey lifted a hand and brushed it away.

And there were others, too, other figures just emerging from the shadows. Ishizu's eyes began to sting with tears as she recognized the unlikeliest of allies.

Ra roared suddenly, right behind her, and she screamed in terror. In the deafening sound, everything around her began to shatter, until only Yami was left, hovering in a sea of blackness. Then the Millennium Puzzle began to glow, much as her Necklace had, and every last bit was washed away in a sea of gold.

Slowly, things around her seemed to come into focus. The gold became sand, endless sand, with a burning sun and a thin line of blue sky. Far in the distance, three figures trudged towards her; slowly, slowly. From the looks of it, the figure in the middle was a boy, and he stumbled once in the sand. Immediately the men on either side of him hurried to grab his arm, and together they lifted him up and the three kept walking. The men were tall and broad, but that was all Ishizu could tell. But as she peered, a silver and gold figure appeared, hovering in the air over one of the men. He looked up suddenly, as if he could feel the presence of this ghostly woman.

Ishizu stared too, and the woman drifted closer. And all of a sudden Ishizu recognized her, and knew who one of the men was – and then her Necklace flashed again, and she knew who they all were, and she knew who they were looking for and what they hoped to find. And she flung her arms around herself as the vision shattered, and all of a sudden Shadi was holding her, and reassuring her.

They made their way upstairs, for the library had gone dark again. The scant light of the torches comforted Ishizu, and she sunk into a chair in their makeshift kitchen. Shadi pulled up a chair beside her, somehow managing to never remove his hand from her shoulder.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

She took a deep breath and told him all she had seen. "The first part wasn't so much a vision as… as a _prediction_, perhaps. But those three men- the two men and the boy- they _are_ coming. They're coming here… they're looking for us."

"What do they want?" Shadi breathed.

"Answers. They are looking for the same answers we are. Because one of the men is the source of the troubles and the source of the questions."

"And will therefore be the source of the solution."

"Yes. We don't have answers for this man."

"Not yet. But perhaps his mere presence will act as a key. From what you have said, Ishizu… he brings strange allies."

"He brings a servant," she listed, licking her lips nervously. "And he brings the boy, though to what purpose I cannot guess. Also… none of them know she is there, though they can sense her presence, but the spirit of a woman travels with them."

Shadi's eyes flickered to meet Ishizu's. Softly, he whispered, "He will be grateful to hear this. I suppose our loved ones never truly leave us…"


	6. Chapter 5

Sakakku

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Notes: All Duel Monsters, Magic, and Trap cards mentioned here are real, although their abilities may be twisted a little to accommodate the different kind of dueling.

Also, two different people gave suggestions- hobbitfeet13(via review) and Mamono(via e-mail)- that I managed to combine into one. You won't realize what I mean 'till chapter… oh, ten or so, but thanks for the input guys. XD

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Chapter 5

xXx

The second village Yami and Yugi had stumbled across had the same dismal appearance as the first, with one noticeable difference.

"It's huge," Yugi breathed, looking around from under his cloak. "How are we supposed to find out anything here, when we don't even know what we're looking for?"

Yami hesitated, scanning the perimeter. "Perhaps we should split up," he finally suggested, though he hated to do so. He didn't want to leave his hikari alone in this awful place, but time was growing short and more information was necessary.

"Okay," Yugi agreed quietly after a moment. "You're right. We have to." He hesitated: "We probably shouldn't have the mindlink, either."

Yami exhaled. "I'm glad you brought that up, Yugi," he said solemnly. "It was a mistake to use our mental connection before. I think Bakura and Marik may have felt it."

Yugi sniffled a little, and Yami glanced down in alarm to make sure his hikari was okay. "I'm fine," Yugi said, anticipating the question. "Can we meet back here when the sun goes down?"

"Yes," Yami assured. "Come here, and be careful, okay hikari?"

"Of course," Yugi said, turning his head to reward his yami with a beaming smile. "See ya!" With those parting words, he scampered off into the streets, leaving Yami to stare after him in mild astonishment. Yugi's uplifted spirit never failed to amaze him, and he wandered into the town with somewhat of a dreamy expression.

Unfortunately, it was this distraction that caused him to nearly walk right into a pair of Rare Hunters: a short, fat one and a taller, skinnier one. He and Yugi had seen a Rare Hunter in the first village as well: they were guards, to keep the people in line and to keep the people _broke_, it appeared, seeing as the Rare Hunters claimed most of the good food and water and cheated the people daily.

The Rare Hunters turned to sneer at him, and Yami's throat closed. "Umbra and Lumos!" he snarled out, before he realized what he had done. _Ra-damnit!_ How was he supposed to save the world when he make stupid, careless errors like this? _RA-DAMNIT!_

"Eh?" Lumos, the fat one, asked, a bit puzzled. He peered into the shadowy depths of Yami's cloak, trying to see his face. "I don't recognize you around here. Are you from across town?"

"Y-yes," Yami said, trying to disguise his voice. He shot a wary look at Umbra. The guard had apparently caught a quick glimpse of his crimson eyes, because Umbra's face was narrowing in recognition, then widening in shock.

While Yami was trying to come up with a good lie, Umbra's arm shot out. He jerked his head back, but Umbra wasn't aiming for the hood. With an alarming speed that Yami had not predicted, he shoved the folds of the cloak aside to reveal the gleaming Millennium Puzzle. His narrow lips twisted in an evil smirk, and Lumos's pudgy jaw dropped.

"Well, well, well…" Umbra drawled, casually reaching for his deck. "How… interesting. The Pharaoh… right here." Lumos glanced up at his counterpart, then reached for his own deck.

_I'm outnumbered_, Yami realized, even as he whipped his deck out and reached for the first card. _Heart of the Cards, guide me,_ he prayed, and held the card aloft.

The summoning happened incredibly swiftly, and Celtic Guardian landed on the ground with a hard thump. He planted both feet firmly on the ground and raised his sword menacingly. Yami felt a fierce joy rise in his heart- his first duel in so long, and he was spoiling for a fight.

xXx

When Mai had left the house, she'd been wearing a dark scarf over her head, but after a while she angrily flung it off. Ra damn her if she'd let those Rare Hunters subdue _her_. She was still wearing her pink long-sleeved blouse, but she unbuttoned the top a bit and rolled up her black skirt to show some leg, tossing her head proudly and letting her hair settle into wild curls. Even these simple actions helped her feel like her old self again- confident, possibly arrogant, strong, brash, and _ready_.

Too bad there was no action to be ready for.

So she simply strolled down the streets. She often took walks to clear her head, to see what was happening in the village. On these walks, she left Serenity at home to protect her.

Mai headed down a side street and emerged into a plaza. Strangely enough, it was empty. She pursed her lips and spun in a circle. Where was everyone? A chill ran up her spine; something had apparently scared them off. She took two steps forward, then leapt back with a shriek. A broadsword came flipping through the air and fell in the dirt at her feet. She glanced up, eyes huge, when she saw the owner of the sword go sailing through the air after it. The bruised and bloody body of the Celtic Guardian crumpled into a defeated pile a few yards away. As Mai watched in horror, the Duel Monster Shining Abyss leapt on top of the Celtic Guardian and slashed at it with round, disgusting fingers. Celtic Guardian let out a moan that was horrible to hear, then dissolved quickly into the air. When she turned to look at the sword, it was gone.

Moving into sight now was a giant dragon: the Duel Monster, Curse of Dragon. It was being harassed by Grand Tiki Elder, who kept throwing dark bolts at it. Curse of Dragon was dodging easily, but Shining Abyss ran away from its beaten victim and began leaping at it, always falling to roll back on its round bottom and leaping again.

"_Feral Imp!_" a voice bellowed, and Mai spun around to see a hooded figure, backing away from two Rare Hunters, moving toward the battle. The hooded man lifted a card aloft, and the green figure of the Feral Imp leapt out and landed on Curse of Dragon's back. "Help out my monster!"

Feral Imp slashed at Shining Abyss the next time it leapt up, and the light monster fell back with a piteous shriek.

_Feral Imp's attack is lower than Shining Abyss_, Mai noted absently. _I suppose Shadow Realm dueling depends on the monster itself, not some assigned stats. I think I like that_… almost separate from her mind, her right hand snuck over to her left wrist. Then she hesitated: this wasn't her battle. She couldn't afford to get involved in something that might blow her cover: she had Serenity to think about!

As she watched, one of the Rare Hunters, Umbra, pulled out another card from his deck. "Doma, the Angel of Silence!" he called, and a winged beast appeared. It was a horrible sight, and Mai glanced away a moment, although she swiftly looked back. Doma flapped its wings and soared over Curse of Dragon, whapping Feral Imp across the head with its staff. Mai gritted her teeth and forced her hands to stay by her side. This stranger was losing, and badly.

The hooded man was reaching for another card when he turned his head slightly and caught sight of her. "Mai?" his voice echoed in disbelief.

Her eyes widened slightly and she took a step forward, but while the man's back had been turned Doma had knocked Feral Imp off of Curse of Dragon's back. With a shriek, Feral Imp tumbled to the ground, and Shining Abyss dove after it, landing right in front of the man and causing him to stumble backwards. The motion in turn made the hood slip off the man's face, and Mai caught sight of him for the first time in a year. "_Yami!_" The name slipped off her tongue and she wondered where it had come from. Wasn't this Yugi Moto? And then she remembered the story that Joey had recited to her in quick, panting breaths before he was taken away and locked up, and she escaped with Serenity. _And then she remembered the dreams…_ This was Yugi's Other Half. "Yami!" she called again.

Yami jumped back, away from the scuffle between Feral Imp and Shining Abyss, and cast his cloak away. "Yes," he said grimly, staring at his two opponents. Umbra and Lumos smirked back, and Mai felt her blood boiling. The two Rare Hunters shifted their gaze to the battle, and Mai and Yami turned in unison.

Feral Imp had landed in an inconvenient position, and was being attacked relentlessly by Shining Abyss. Curse of Dragon appeared to be trying to fly to its rescue, but it was impossible with Doma attacking from the air and Grand Tiki Elder still firing bolts of black magic from the ground.

"Two against one," Mai said, drawing all attention to her again. She stared frostily at Umbra and Lumos, then looked pointedly at the battle. "And three against two. Kindly allow me to even the score." Deftly, she pushed back the sleeve of her blouse, revealing her dueling deck, strapped down firmly. Without looking at the cards, she drew from somewhere in the middle, trusting her deck. "Meet my Amazon Archer!" she called in triumph as the young Amazon appeared, bow and arrows in hand and shrieking a bloody battle cry. Amazon Archer immediately began to rain arrows upon Doma. At the same moment, Curse of Dragon unleashed a stream of magic that knocked Grand Tiki Elder to the side, and swooped down to bite into Shining Abyss. Curse of Dragon carried Shining Abyss high into the air, then dropped it heavily. Feral Imp had jumped up and recovered, and attacked Shining Abyss as soon as it hit the ground. With an agonizing shriek, Shining Abyss disappeared.

"Noooo!" Lumos shrieked, pudgy face twisting up angrily. "Oh, you will pay, girl. And you'll be punished as well! It's illegal for you to be carrying a dueling deck!"

"Tell that to my Amazoness Swords Woman!" Mai responded, already reaching for her next Duel Monster. Amazoness Swords Woman appeared in a battle crouch beside Amazon Archer, brandishing her weapon menacingly.

"As for me, I'll summon a monster that will take down your Amazoness with ease!" Lumos responded in a tight screech. "The Immortal of Thunder, I call upon you!"

As the angry red-eyed Monster laughed evilly, Mai felt a chill run down her back. This had less to do with the appearance of the blue-skinned The Immortal of Thunder than the way she felt the Shadow Magic hovering around Lumos and Umbra grow in intensity. She glanced at Yami for reassurance, but his face had darkened. "What is it?" she asked nervously.

"The Immortal of Thunder," he responded. "When it is Summoned, their Shadow Magic will become more powerful. It will be easier for them to summon monsters as well as intensifying their monsters attack."

"Oh…" Mai breathed, shooting a look at her ferocious Amazoness Swords Woman for reassurance.

"But on the other side," Yami continued, "when The Immortal of Thunder is destroyed, they will suffer a severe blow to their Shadow Magic, resulting in a lower level of magic than before, even. Umbra and Lumos must be counting on a swift victory if they played this Monster."

"Oh, it'll be a swift victory all right," Mai said grimly. "And it'll be _ours_! Attack, Amazon Archer! Fire your arrows at The Immortal of Thunder!"

Amazon Archer obeyed immediately- but the arrows stopped in mid-flight. The Immortal of Thunder had merely raised his trident. Amazon Archer stepped back a bit, as if frightened. Amazoness Swords Woman raised her sword, preparing for battle.

And then The Immortal of Thunder waved his trident once, and the arrows flew directly into Feral Imp. The Monster had no time to cry before it disappeared, and Yami was left shocked.

Lumos let out a shrill laugh, and Umbra grinned. "I'd say it's my turn, now," he said mockingly, holding his chosen card aloft. "Zombyra the Dark!" He let out a chortle: "That was easy!"

Zombyra the Dark appeared on the battlefield, and Mai's Amazonness Swords Woman immediately leapt into battle. Zombyra blocked the sword blows with dark magic easily, and their battle moved out into the deserted space of the plaza. Amazon Archer followed, but at a distance, hitting Zombyra whenever it had a chance.

"I summon Mystical Elf!" Yami roared, holding the card aloft. Mystical Elf came shimmering down from the sky, chanting softly. Mai glanced over and saw Yami placing the Book of Secret Arts underneath the Mystical Elf's Card, lending the Magic Card's power to his Monster.

"Mystical Elf!" Yami continued. "I call upon you to lend your power to my Curse of Dragon! Give it the strength to defeat its opponents!"

Curse of Dragon, locked in battle once again with Doma from the sky and Grand Tiki Elder from the land, heard the call. It gave its customary dragon screech, then swooped to one side. Mystical Elf's chanting grew to new levels, and Mai and Yami felt the sweet music wash over them; and then Mystical Elf was gone, forming a stream of golden light that went directly into Curse of Dragon. Curse of Dragon screeched again, and shot a ball of magic at Doma, the Angel of Silence. Doma fell from the sky, hit the ground, disappeared. Umbra gaped in shock.

Next, Curse of Dragon turned on Grand Tiki Elder. "Remember Mystical Elf!" Yami yelled in encouragement, and Curse of Dragon began a physical assault to counter Grand Tiki Elder's dark magic bursts.

The Amazons were still locked in battle with Zombyra the Dark. Neither side was giving in. Amazoness Swords Woman pursued with her sword blows, despite that they were being blocked by Zombyra's swift hands and strong magic. Amazon Archer kept shooting arrows, despite the fact that Zombyra easily brushed them off.

"To take on The Immortal of Thunder," Mai called, "I'll summon Amazoness Paladin! And," she added smugly, "Amazoness Paladin gains a power boost from both my Amazon Archer and Amazoness Swords Woman."

The blonde warrior was summoned, raising her arms in triumph as power flowed into her body. She leapt high in the air and landed in front of The Immortal of Thunder, hitting it once on the head with her staff before The Immortal of Thunder regained its composure and defended with its own staff.

Yami and Mai moved to stand side by side and watched the three separate battles. "Something will give," Yami muttered. "The power won't stay balanced for long."

xXx

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Notes: Oh, and as for why Summoning comes so easily to Joey, and to Mai, while Seto has to work for it: It takes a lot of Millennium Magic to summon. When Mai Summoned, it was working side-by-side with Yami. And Joey, of course, was great friends with Yugi and Yami. The fact that Seto might be trying to Summon really hasn't occurred to Yami. (and the odds of Marik and Bakura helping? ::laughs::)


	7. Chapter 6

Sakakku

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Chapter 6

xXx

Yugi wandered through the streets, completely bored. No one was outside! He'd seen some people rush into houses, apparently scared out of their wits, but he had no idea what could be spooking them so badly. The fact that he was the only one outside, however, made him stick out all the more, and he wondered if he should be searching for a place to hide.

"Hello?" a voice called. Yugi jumped, nearly falling to the ground. "Hello?" the voice continued. "I'm sorry; I heard your footsteps. Do you mind telling me what's going on? You're the only one out there, aren't you? Where did everyone go? What's wrong? Is Mai safe?"

Yugi stared at the girl leaning out of a nearby window. She had red hair falling past her shoulders. And a white bandage over her eyes.

_"Serenity!" _he cried in glee, rushing forward. The girl gasped and withdrew quickly, ducking out of sight. He stopped short, wondering what was the matter, and realized that she didn't know if he was an enemy. "Serenity! It's me! It's _Yugi!_"

Across the street, a piece of cloth covering the window rustled, and he cringed, realizing that the fact that he was Marik and Bakura's number-one target was something he shouldn't be broadcasting. He rushed up to the window instead, stuck his head in, and whisper-shouted "Serenity! It's Yugi Moto!" He'd seen her only briefly, but recognized her from pictures. And she should recognize his name.

She had been crouching below the window, and now she drew back with a gasp. "Yugi? Really?" _The boy she had known only by name… except recently. When he and his twin- no, his _yami_, had begun to appear in her dreams… and a desert, the oasis in the desert… _Serenity stretched out her hands for him to take, and he did so.

"It's me," he assured her, beaming. "Hold on- let me crawl through the window. Keep holding onto my hands." She obliged, tugging on his arms until he scrambled through and landed heavily on the floor. But in the next second, he was up, hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad to see a familiar face!" he exclaimed, then clapped a hand to his mouth. "Oh, no," he apologize ruefully. _See_. "Are… are you still blind?"

She hesitated. "I don't know," she said softly. "I haven't tried to take the bandages off yet."

Yugi nodded, remembered she couldn't see him, then said "Okay," deciding not to press the matter further. Instead, he asked happily, "You asked me if Mai was okay. Have you seen her at all? Is she the one you live with?"

"Yes!" Serenity said, just as excitedly, groping around until she found Yugi's hand to squeeze in glee. "She went out for a walk a while ago. I was a little worried, since I didn't hear anyone outside on the streets, and that's a bit weird. But I'm sure she's okay. And how are you? Where have you _been_? Do you know where my brother is?"

xXx

Across the street, behind the curtains that Yugi had noticed rustling, a boy sat in his house. He peered across the street: Yugi and Serenity were still hovering in front of the window, the fools, where anyone could see them. Yugi had already screamed his name for the whole village to hear.

He'd talked to Serenity before; it was the first time they'd met, but he'd made a point to stay out of the way of Mai. Somehow, he didn't think she'd be thrilled to see him- there was no doubt that she would remember him.

The boy watched Serenity and Yugi's joyful reunion with a mixture of jealously, contempt, and sorrow. But most of all: confusion. What should he do now? What was the right next step?

Should he try to help Yugi? He and Yugi were enemies, always had been. Would Yugi accept his help? Did he even want to offer his help? Maybe he should go right to Bakura and Marik.

The boy exhaled, thinking. What a miserable existence this was- not that he'd always enjoyed his life, but still. He'd heard rumors that Yugi would try to end Bakura and Marik's dominion. Didn't he owe it to the world to try and help Yugi and his allies, then?

Maybe he'd go see his friend. Yes, he would do that. The two of them could figure out what to do and where to go… and who to side with.

xXx

The balance of power finally shifted, and when it did so Yami could hardly believe it. Curse of Dragon hit Grand Tiki Elder with a blow of its powerful tail. Grand Tiki Elder disappeared in defeat, and Curse of Dragon headed over to help out Amazoness Paladin.

But in the next second, Amazoness Swords Woman finally fell. Her sword dropped, and Zombyra the Dark attacked her and defeated her a moment later. However, Zombyra was weakened from the long battle, and Amazon Archer was finally given a clear shot at the Monster. The arrows were shot, and in the same moment Zombyra gave off a final blow of dark magic. The two Monsters were wiped out instantly.

That left three Monsters in battle: Curse of Dragon and Amazoness Paladin against The Immortal of Thunder. But Amazoness Paladin had lost the source of her power boost, the other two Amazons. She raised her staff high above her head, and brought it clashing down against The Immortal of Thunder's staff. The two Monsters stayed poised like that, the Amazoness Paladin quickly losing her strength.

In swooped Curse of Dragon, brandishing the sharp teeth in its mouth. One swift bite followed by a lash of its tail brought The Immortal of Thunder down at last. But the effort of holding The Immortal of Thunder at bay had exhausted Amazoness Paladin, and she let herself disappear as well.

Curse of Dragon, the last Monster in battle, landed on the ground, breathing heavily. Yami was exhausted, but smiled nevertheless. "We've won," he announced, glaring at Umbra and Lumos. "All your monsters have gone, and the disappearance of The Immortal of Thunder has drained your Shadow Magic."

To his surprise, Lumos cackled. "Well, not quite," he responded, sneering at Yami and Mai. "Defeating The Immortal of Thunder may have exhausted our powers, but we don't need much Shadow Magic to summon our final, unstoppable Monster! You see, you've beaten two Light Monsters: Shining Abyss and The Immortal of Thunder. Thanks to my Monster's special ability, I can call it forth! Meet _Soul of Purity and Light_!" As the Monster formed in front of him, Lumos continued: "Not only is my Monster immensely strong, it weakens _your_ Monster! As if it weren't exhausted enough…" he snickered, but it was weak. He was tired.

Curse of Dragon never had time to react, let alone fly up, before Soul of Purity and Light attacked. With a final, weak cry, it disappeared.

Yami was so tired… glancing over at Mai, he saw that she was exhausted as well. "We can't give in now," he whispered. "Can you last one more Summoning?"

"How do you know we'll only need one more?" she asked back, her voice a bit harsh.

"I don't… Summon your best Monster."

"All right…" Mai closed her eyes and plunged blindly into her deck. She held the next card in front of her, almost defensively, and her ever-faithful Harpie Lady plunged out of it, screeching menacingly. "Harpie Lady!" Mai called, almost startled.

Yami reached for the card on top, feeling the great magic of the Heart of the Cards swelling around him. "My Monster will be the _Dark Magician_," Yami said strongly, not even needing to glance at the card. After he said it, his loyal servant emerged solemnly, arms folded, staring coolly at his opponent.

In tandem, almost as if they had planned, the four humans fell to the ground. Lumos and Mai went first, and as Umbra and Yami bent to grab them, they too sunk.

So as the four people lay, good as dead on the ground, the three Monsters began battling for so much more than a single Duel should ever be worth.

xXx

The Dark Magician felt his throat tighten when his master sunk to the ground. He would fight for Yami, he would _win_ for Yami.

Beside him crouched the Harpie Lady, her beautiful but dangerous face twisted in a display of utter fury. She too was angry about the harming of her mistress. She spread her wings, intending to fly forward, but the Dark Magician placed a slender hand on the tip of her wing. Harpie Lady turned to face him with a shriek that didn't faze him.

The physical contact allowed them to communicate. _We must work together to overcome Soul of Purity and Light_, he told her calmly. _You cannot rush into attack. It is a strong enemy and haste will only make our situation worse._

_Mistress is dead! There will be punishment!_

_Not dead, only weakened. We can save the two by victory. But do not rush: Soul of Purity and Light wants you to attack. Look at it. It is ready and you will not be prepared._

_What do you suggest, then, Magician?_

_Fly in the air. Pick three points in a triangle and move between them. Claw and slash at Soul of Purity and Light as often as you can. I shall battle with magic._

With great speed that came natural to her kind, Harpie Lady shot into the sky with her deadly battle screech. Soul of Purity and Light appeared to be waiting for her to make a move like this- Dark Magician had been right- and it shot a bolt of magic into the air that Harpie Lady narrowly avoided. Soul of Purity and Light shot a second bolt that came even closer to singeing her, and might have brought her down the next time had not Dark Magician blasted it with a ball of black energy from his staff.

Thus began the exhausting battle. Harpie Lady dashed back and forth between three points, changing her destination often enough to keep Soul of Purity and Light guessing. Dark Magician launched attack after attack of dark magic, most of which Soul of Purity and Light blocked. Soul of Purity and Light was a deceptively peaceful looking monster, a young man with an angel floating overhead. This angel was the force blocking the magic attacks, while the young man hit away Harpie Lady's clawed feet.

This went on for an eternity. Dark Magician felt his magic draining, and began using a combination of magic and physical assaults with his staff. He twirled it, twining strands of Dark Magic around the end, and brought it crashing down on Soul of Purity and Light's shoulder.

The Monster screeched, feeling the damage worse than perhaps any other assault so far. Harpie Lady took advantage of the apparent lapse of concentration to fly down, striking Soul of Purity and Light with a wing. She followed through with the blow by raking a claw tip across its face, and Soul of Purity and Light bellowed.

The Light Monster backed quickly away from Dark Magician, just long enough to unleash a strong golden beam of magic. The angel perched above the man moved into the beam, grinning widely as she struck Harpie Lady. Harpie Lady screeched as the beam shoved her backwards and she was carried high into the sky. It looked for a moment that the attack would carry her away and she would be lost, but she recovered by flapping her powerful wings once, twice. The angel floated, dizzy, and Harpie Lady entrapped it in a whirlwind.

Thus Soul of Purity and Light was left defenseless against magic attacks. Dark Magician summoned every last drop of energy into a final black ball of dense power. Soul of Purity and Light struggled for an instant, and vanished, carrying the angel away with it. Harpie Lady floated to the ground slowly, exhausted, and sunk into it, heading back to the Shadow Realm. Dark Magician paused a moment to check on his master and Mai, then let a dark aura surround him. He was preparing to travel back to the Shadow Realm as well when he heard a low moan: Umbra was stirring. With a grim smile, Dark Magician strode over, and purposefully smashed Umbra and Lumos over the head with his staff. They wouldn't wake up before his master, that was for sure.

Dark Magician allowed himself to travel back to the Shadow Realm quietly, ready to rest, moments before Yami woke up.

xXx

"Dark Magician…" Yami whispered under his breath. He slowly opened his eyes, staring up at blue sky. "What happened?" He sat up: "Who won?" Glancing around, his breath caught in his throat as he noticed Mai lying face-down, but in the next sweep of the area he noticed Umbra and Lumos.

He put his hands on Mai's shoulders and brought her up: "Are you okay?"

She blinked wearily. "What… oh! What happened to Harpie Lady?"

"All the Duel Monsters are gone," Yami told her. "But I think we won."

"How do you know?"

He motioned to Umbra and Lumos. Umbra had blood leaking out of his temple, and Lumos had a red mark across his eye. Mai gasped.

"What happened to them?"

Yami shrugged, rising slowly and helping her to stand. "I think we won," he simply said again. Mai bowed her head and touched her deck with respect. Yami too thought with great gratitude, _Thank you, Dark Magician._

"What do we do with them?" Mai asked, quite practically. Yami heaved a sigh.

"Marik and Bakura may already have sensed our Shadow Dueling. In fact, I'm sure of it; we used powerful magic. Even so, we can't afford to leave Umbra and Lumos with what they know: it may put you in danger."

"Or Serenity," Mai added.

Yami glanced at her. "Serenity's here?" His voice was glad. "She's safe?"

"Safe enough," Mai said softly. "She's worried about her brother. She's worried about _everyone_."

Yami nodded grimly. "Yes…" they were silent a moment, and then he continued. "I can erase the memories of Umbra and Lumos, I think."

"Will it hurt them?" Mai asked uncertainly.

"No."

"All right." She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Can you make it fast? We should get home- I mean, back to my house."

Yami closed his eyes briefly, and three golden eyes appeared on his forehead as well as Umbra and Lumos's. "Done," he said after a moment, rushing over to where he'd discarded his cloak and scooped it up, hiding his face in its folds once more. "I'll come back to your house with you for a while, but as soon as the sun goes down I have to meet Yugi. I'll bring him back to your place too."

"Yugi?" Mai asked, startled. "He's not…" Her gaze traveled down to where his Puzzle lay hidden under his cloak.

"No," Yami answered, looking to her for directions. They started moving swiftly out of the plaza. "We learned to separate bodies."

"Oh my god…" Mai breathed. Catching something else in her tone, Yami glanced at her again. "_I dreamed that_…"

xXx

Serenity recognized Mai's footsteps when the blonde was still down the street, and she could also tell that someone was with her. "Hide," she whispered to Yugi, "in case her companion sees you when Mai comes inside. Or through the window." A terrible thought struck her as Yugi scurried to the back room of the small house: they'd been talking in front of the window. What if someone had seen Yugi? He'd told her that he was taking his dark cloak off a while ago. Had he been noticed?

Her thoughts were disrupted when Mai opened the door, still with the stranger at her side. "Serenity!" she said, rushing over and grabbing the girl's hands.

"Hello, Mai," Serenity greeted her calmly, though her heart was pounding and she wondered if Yugi was hidden well. "Who's your friend?" She gestured over where she presumed the other to be.

"It's me," a deep voice sounded. "Yami."

"Yugi's Other Half," Mai informed her excitedly. "You might not understand, Serenity, but-"

She was cut off by a running blur: "Yami!" Yugi squealed excitedly, and launched himself at his yami. The Pharaoh nearly fell over backwards with surprise, but hugged his light affectionately. Then he seemed to remember that Mai and Serenity were in the room, and let go quickly. "Mai!" Yugi said happily, bounding over to give the girl a hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Serenity stretched out her hands to grasp both Yugi and Yami's hands, remembering everything the young boy had told her while they waited for Mai to return. _And what she had learned from her dreams… _"Hello," she greeted Yami cordially.

Mai suddenly appeared over the backs of Yugi and Yami, pushing them into Serenity and one big group hug. "We're all here," she said, hugging everyone she could reach affectionately. Yugi and Yami exchanged grins- the joy of finally being with friends was affecting them all.

Later that night, they began discussing the next step. "If we need more allies-" Mai began hesitantly.

"We do," Yami said immediately. "This will be a hard journey." Yugi gulped loudly.

"I think I know where Duke Devlin is," she continued. "A month ago, a recently married couple was traveling through here. I talked with them a bit, and they happened to mention that they'd passed through a town where a celebrity lived. Of course, that's just about the biggest news you'll hear," she said bitterly. "And a 'celebrity' has become anyone who is in the upper-class, because there are so few of them. I might have been one," she said softly, placing a hand on Serenity's shoulder, "but she needed to be hidden."

"She's a target," Yugi breathed.

Serenity stiffened and murmured, "Because of my big brother."

Mai bit her lip and resumed explaining. "So of course I asked who, and they said Duke Devlin. And also? They mentioned that he'd taken another boy to live with him." She allowed herself a grin: "Tristan Taylor."

"Duke and Tristan!" Yugi said, his large eyes glistening. "Oh, we should go find them! They can help us!"

"They're far away," Mai grumbled. "I could make the journey in a few hours in a car, but it'll take us a few days."

"We'll be okay," Serenity spoke up cheerfully. Everyone turned to look at her.

"We?" Yugi asked. "Are you sure you can come along, Serenity?"

"I'm sure," she said firmly. "I'm not being left behind. And who knows? Maybe we'll find Joey."

Yami took a deep breath. "Can we be ready to leave in the morning?" he asked Mai.

"Yes."


	8. Chapter 7

Sakakku

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Notes: I'm not sure I got Téa's quote right, but it was something close. Bit of language in here, sorry if this offends anyone.

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Chapter 7

xXx

Mokuba spent all his days at the window of the mansion he lived in, now alone. _Alone with the strange dreams of Yugi… and of Yami… as two people, hiding, together yet alone in a desert._Seto had hired many people to work in the mansion, but when he left Mokuba sent them all away- with a sack of silver and gold each, because he felt bad. He was all by himself now, although in the first few days after he'd contacted the Rare Hunters they were in and out of the mansion, asking him questions about Seto and rummaging through his big brother's belongings. They seemed to like him- occasionally a Rare Hunter would ruffle his hair and tell him that Marik and Bakura rewarded those that were loyal. Mokuba was torn between pride at the deception and dread as they found what could be clues to his brother's whereabouts. But soon enough all his feelings went away and all he knew was utter, utter boredom.

That combined with a sense of impending doom made for rather unpleasant days.

A man walked slowly down the streets, scanning the houses casually, but his gaze kept returning to the mansion Mokuba sat in. The black-haired boy peered carelessly out the window, but his attention was piqued when the man turned down the dusty road that led to the front door. Mokuba leapt from the seat and flung open the door before the man even knocked.

The stranger seemed startled, but recovered quickly. "Mokuba Kaiba," he said quietly.

Mokuba gazed up at him. Must be one of Marik and Bakura's employees, even if he wasn't dressed as a Rare Hunter. The man wore white robes and a turban that not only covered his head, but most of his face. "That's me," he said politely. "Can I help you?"

"I need to speak to your brother," the man said.

Mokuba furrowed his brow. "I already _told_ you guys everything I know about Seto," he said, growing nervous.

"What?" The man seemed startled.

"Didn't Marik and Bakura send you?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"No!" the man exclaimed. "No… may I come in?"

Mokuba considered slamming the door in his face, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Okay…" he said, letting the door swing open. The stranger came in, and he pointed to the kitchen. They both went in and took seats at the wooden table.

"Where is your brother?" the man said, cutting right to the chase.

"I don't know," Mokuba repeated. "If I did know, believe me, I'd tell you."

"What do you mean you don't know?" the man asked, putting his hands on the table. Mokuba felt his stomach clench.

"I don't know," he said firmly, staring into the stranger's eyes- what he could see of them, anyway. They were mostly in shadow. "He probably went to look for Joey- I mean, Yami! No, it was Yami." He was sweating now, and extremely confused. He was in big trouble…

But the stranger simply stared at him. "Seto Kaiba left?" he breathed.

Mokuba looked up with a start. "Who are you?" he demanded, all of a sudden angry and afraid. _Everyone_ knew that Seto was gone. They were all looking for him!

The man paused, then reached up and unraveled his turban. Mokuba leapt away from the table, knocking the chair over and falling on his back. "Mokuba, stay still!" Kimo hissed.

Kimo. Pegasus's guard. The one who had kidnapped Mokuba in Duelist Kingdom. "Stay away from me!" Mokuba commanded in a high, frightened voice.

"Ssssh!" Kimo said, rushing over and clamping a swift hand over Mokuba's mouth. The boy had a sudden flashback of the last time he did that and began struggling.

"Mokuba, I'm not here to hurt you!" Kimo said angrily. "I'm here to see Seto! I have a message for him from Pegasus!"

Unsurprisingly, this did little to reassure Mokuba. His eyes filled with visions of a soulless big brother, and he kicked out.

"Damn!" Kimo swore, releasing Mokuba to grab his leg. Mokuba turned over to scramble away, heart pounding too much to scream. But Kimo recovered enough to grab Mokuba again, and lifted the boy up. He sat Mokuba on the kitchen table, hand still over his mouth, and looked at the boy in the eye.

"Listen, Mokuba," Kimo breathed. "Pegasus sent me here with a request for help from your brother. He has information that might be able to bring down Marik and Bakura."

Immediately Mokuba stilled.

"When he painted the God Cards, he found out certain things," Kimo continued. "He's going to try and find a man who might know more. He wanted your brother to come with him to search for Shadi: Seto is knowledgeable about these things." Kimo searched Mokuba's eyes again, and removed his hand from his mouth and stepped back cautiously. Mokuba didn't move.

"Please keep this a secret," Kimo pleaded. "If Seto's really gone, I'll return to Pegasus and we'll set out alone. But no one can find out, understand?"

"I'm coming with you."

xXx

"_I. DON'T. CARE."_ Tristan bellowed.

"_That's exactly the problem!"_ Duke hollered back. "_You don't care about anything. You don't care about me. You don't care about yourself. I'm beginning to think you don't even care about your friends!_"

Tristan's head jerked back as if he had been slapped. "_My friends are the only things in this god-damned screwed-up world that I give a shit about!_" he screamed. _"You just don't understand, _Devlin,_ because you've never _had_ any friends!_"

Duke bit down so hard that he cut his tongue. Without waiting for a response, Tristan wheeled around and stormed out of the house.

His anger died down almost immediately and he returned to his almost robotic-state of existence. But this time, Duke's eyes were hovering in his minds eye. The disapproving looks he'd shot at Tristan… the exasperated ones… the triumphant ones whenever he made a breakthrough in Dungeon Dice Monsters… but most of all, the stricken look when Tristan had claimed Duke hadn't ever had friends. _And behind the visions of Duke's hurt eyes were the two boys in the desert… Yugi _and_ Yami, from his dreams…_

All of a sudden, he felt a strong urge to go tell Duke that _he_ was his friend. Tristan wasn't entirely sure where the feeling had come from, and was slightly freaked out by it. And he was very sure Duke would be as confused as he. But the urge was gnawing at him, and he spun around to run back home.

But a shout of laughter stopped him in his tracks- it was such an unfamiliar sound. He backtracked and peered around the corner. A group of villagers were huddled together, watching what appeared to be a group of brothers. The eldest was juggling, while his younger brothers were clambering on each other's shoulders to form an impressive show of acrobatics. Tristan glanced around- amazing. All the villagers were laughing, and clapping their hands, and some were dancing. The first smiles he'd seen in months, and he felt a tugging at the corners of his mouth. It felt strange and unnatural on the stiff lines of his face.

The boy on top of the acrobatic stack suddenly pulled out a dagger from his tunic, and everyone gasped. He grinned down at them, and carefully tossed it at his older brother. The juggler grabbed it deftly and threw it in with the sacks he was tossing, managing to juggle without injury. The crowd broke into thunderous applause once more, and Tristan hesitantly joined in. He eyed the brothers as they ended their antics and took bows. Why did they look familiar to him?

"Thank you," one of the middle boys announced, stepping forward a little. "This has been a presentation of the Roba brothers, circus employees of Marik and Bakura, sent to you directly from the palace!" The crowd, relieved that they could cheer safely for them, and thrilled at the thought that their oppressors were finally providing them with some entertainment, and possibly nervous as to what would happen if they weren't enthusiastic about employees of Marik and Bakura, broke into applause and whistles.

Roba? Oh, right, Joey had dueled one of them.

Tristan's head snapped up. Joey had dueled one of them! He'd dueled Espa Roba! Images flashed through his mind: he and Serenity had watched the duel via laptop. She'd cheered him on, and Tristan had called Téa to make sure their blessings were passed onto Joey. And they had been, and Joey had beaten Espa Roba. Later, the two guys had talked about the duel, but only briefly. Joey had told him a little about Espa, and his brothers. Would Roba remember Joey?

xXx

Espa beamed at the crowds, refusing any gifts offered to him. He and his brothers were paid pretty well by the palace, and these folks were obviously poor. That was why the Roba's were there, after all. Marik and Bakura had finally realized that to keep the people happy, they needed to start offering something. They'd sent for the Robas, who had gained quite a reputation in their small village with their tricks and their looks. Of course, the Rare Hunters sent to fetch them hadn't told them this; the Robas had been afraid they were in trouble at first.

But all was well now, and he was happier than he'd been since Battle City. The last real spark of affection he'd felt was right after Joey Wheeler had defeated him in a duel; it went a long ways toward showing him how much his family cared for him. To be working together now was a miracle in this hard world. This was their first stop after leaving the palace, and it had worked better than they could have dreamed.

He scanned the people, all looking thrilled. Maybe they would stay another day; he was torn between being with these needy people longer or looking for others to entertain.

A boy with brown hair forming a spike at the end was trying to push his way through the crowds. "Espa Roba!" the boy called, and Espa turned slightly. Had he told anyone his first name? Perhaps the stranger had overheard his younger brothers.

"Espa Roba!" the boy repeated, now standing in front of him. He was tall and muscled, and cleaner than most. This was odd. The brown-haired boy bit his lip, as if thinking about something, and finally said: "Do you need a place to stay for the night?"

"Yeah!" His youngest brother immediately chimed in. Tommy Roba clutched Espa's hand and looked up with pleading eyes: "Can we stay here another day, Espa brother?"

"Oh, well…" Espa hesitated. "I suppose so." The decision was made for him.

xXx

Half an hour later, the crowd had reluctantly let the Robas go, and they walked with Tristan to the outskirts of the city, where Duke's house was. Espa had heard of Devlin, and was amazed to find that Tristan Taylor was living with him. The younger boys ran ahead while Tristan and Espa talked about the dice-master.

"Actually," Tristan said, once everyone was out of earshot, "I recognize you. You dueled my best friend, Joey Wheeler."

"Joey?" Espa's jaw dropped and he stopped walking. "Your best friend?" An image of a brown-haired girl flew through his head. _'Joey, your sister and Tristan are watching your duel from the hospital!'_

"Yeah," Tristan said, pushing his jaw up. "I know you're employed from the palace. But do you really want to follow Marik and Bakura?"

"No," came the immediate answer. Tristan looked, startled. Espa stared him down seriously. "Did you see their faces back there?" he continued. "Everyone was so happy, and so surprised, and so glad to have a molecule of joy in their lives. Can you imagine living without joy?"

Tristan looked down. If only Espa knew. "I wish I knew where my friends were," was the first thought that came tumbling from his lips. But what about Duke? Didn't he count?

"Joey escaped," Espa said quietly. Tristan looked at him in disbelief. "It's true," Espa said, "everyone in the palace was in a tizzy over it when we got there."

"Joey…"

"Do you want to go look for him?"

Tristan once again stared at Espa. "How did you…"

Espa winked and tapped the side of his head. "Psychic."

A smile, a real smile, crept to Tristan's face. "I'll go right now," he announced.

"You're not alone," Espa told him. "I'll help."

Tristan's eyes widened. "I can't ask you to do that," he protested. "You could be putting your life in danger."

"I know."

Silence hung in the air, then Espa took a deep breath. "Tommy!" he called, and the youngest brother came trotting back.

"We're almost to the house, Tommy," Espa told the boy, ruffling his hair affectionately. "But Tristan and I aren't going to come with you, okay? Don't tell anyone until you're in the house."

Tommy's eyes grew large. "Espa brother?" he began to ask, but Tristan cut him off.

"Tell Duke I sent you," he said, crossing his arms. "You can stay as long as you like."

"You should only stay a little while," Espa cautioned, "then you might like to move on. You're all grown up enough to go without me, just listen to Sammy okay?"

Tommy asked hesitantly, "Are you going on an adventure, Espa brother?"

"You could say that," Espa agreed. "But I'll be back, okay? That's a promise. Just maybe not soon." He sniffled. "Tell everyone I said good-bye…" He stretched to look at them, dashing down the dirt road and laughing playfully. A tear dripped from his eye: "I wish I could tell them myself, but time is important…" He swallowed painfully.

Tommy looked at him somberly, then reached up and hugged him tightly around the neck. Tristan watched the two brothers, feeling like an intruder, but unwilling to turn away. A lump grew in his throat; was this really two emotions in one day?

Espa broke contact first: "You'd better go." He didn't add it, but Tristan felt as if he were thinking, _Or I'll never be able to let go_. Tommy, somehow understanding, dashed down the road. And Espa and Tristan turned and marched steadily away.


	9. Chapter 8

Sakakku

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Chapter 8

xXx

Seto approached the house from the desert. It lay on the outskirts of a large city; the location and size let him know that this was an upper-class home. Nearly as nice as his.

It _had_ to be Taylor and Devlin, who else in this town was that well off?

Seto hopped easily over the fence and into Devlin's property, cowl stored away in his pocket: Taylor and Devlin would recognize him. Even so, he hesitated, creeping slowly up to the house. No one was there, but he heard voices floating from the front of the house. Recognizable among them was his former business rival, Duke Devlin. Seto placed a hand on the doorknob and found it unlocked, much to his surprise, and sauntered in.

He was standing coolly in the middle of the kitchen when Duke appeared in the doorway. "You can stay in the rooms upstai-" he was saying, until he caught sight of Seto. His jaw dropped. "Kaiba?" he asked in utter disbelief.

Seto smirked a little and nodded. "Who else?"

"How did you get in?" Duke answered the question for himself, however, when his eyes traveled to the back door. "Tristan never remembers to lock it," he mumbled, a faint grin sprouting on his face. He looked up at Seto: "Kaiba, we've never been close friends, but you have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"Mister Duke Devlin, sir?" came a lisp. Seto debated ducking into a doorway, but Duke held up a hand. "Come on in, Tommy," he said kindly, and a blue-haired boy entered the room and looked up at Seto.

"Tommy, this is Seto Kaiba," Duke said, gesturing at Seto. "You know who he is?"

"Yes," Tommy said seriously. "He's the one the people in the palace are after."

Seto's eyes narrowed; how did this young boy know about the dealings inside the palace?

"And I think he started the duel competition!" Tommy continued, smiling goofily, "The one that Espa was in."

So this boy knew someone who had been in Battle City? Espa, Espa… ah yes, Espa Roba. By the looks of it, this was Espa Roba's younger brother.

"The Robas are employed by Marik and Bakura," Duke explained to Seto, placing a hand on Tommy's shoulder, "but they're not their allies. In fact, Espa Roba and Tristan left, to go looking for Joey."

Seto's eyebrows raised. Putting off the purpose of his visit for the time, he asked, "And you didn't go with them?"

Duke's slender face formed a scowl; "I would have, had they asked me," he said tightly. "They didn't tell me they were leaving."

"Hm," was all Seto said. He lifted his chin: "Attend to your business, we'll talk later."

Duke stared at him, but Seto ignored his gaze, simply moved over to the table and took a seat, folding his arms and closing his eyes partway. Duke finally gave up and shrugged, and called the rest of the Espas into the room. They followed him into a side bedroom, glancing curiously at Seto, those who recognized the boy sucking in their breaths.

Duke's voice, explaining to the boys that they could stay in the bedroom and the house as long as they wanted, floated back to Seto. A long period followed where Duke, obviously unused to children, tried to coax them into pajamas, put them peacefully in bed, shut out the lights, and finally cave to their demands of a bedtime story. Seto had to grin at Duke's clumsy retelling of "Sleeping Beauty"; he got a lot of it wrong. As far as Seto knew, Aurora was a blonde, not a petite redhead, and Duke completely left out the 'sleeping' part. He called his version "Blinded Beauty", in which the heroine lost her eyesight and the dice-wielding prince defeated the dragon/monkey to let her see again. One thing that Duke was successful in doing, though, was putting Seto to sleep; he let his head fall slowly to his folded arms.

However, it didn't have the desired effect on the Roba's, who immediately begged for 'just one more'. "Fine," Duke's voice was heard, sounding a mixture of amused and exasperated, "but that's all." He hesitated a long, long minute, and cautiously began to tell his tale.

_Once upon a time, there was a group of friends. They didn't always get along, and they fought a lot, and some members of the group felt a little left out. But they were close in their hearts, and they promised to protect each other._

_Except that one day, something terrible happened. One of the friends was very powerful, and a lot of people were jealous of him. A lot of people wanted that power._

_And something happened that the friends promised would never happen: that power was taken. And their friend was… he was lost._

_And all the rest of the friends were hurt. And the whole world was covered in darkness._

Devlin's voice faltered, then resumed his tale.

_They spent a year in a cold, lonely existence. Some of their friends were prisoners. Others were tortured, maybe not physically, but mentally._

_But then one day, they remembered their promise to each other. That they would always be friends, and they would always fight for each other. And they set out to try and save the world._

After a few minutes of silence, during which Seto became aware that his hands were trembling uncontrollably, one of the brothers spoke up: "Did they save the world?"

"I hope so…"

xXx

"So I'm glad you're okay…" Duke said, turning away from the fire he'd built in the corner. In his hand he held a kettle of boiling water, and he carefully poured the water into the two mugs that already held tea leaves. He and Seto busied themselves for a while, experimenting with other flavorings, until Seto took his first sip and got down to business.

"I want to fight against Marik and Bakura," he explained. "And I believe Yami is alive." Seto said it with a firm jaw and icy eyes, daring Duke to disagree.

Duke's eyes flickered downward. "I do too," he said in a half-whisper, touching his heart lightly. "I know it's crazy to believe your dreams… but when my dreams and my heart agree…"

"Dreams." Seto said the word flatly.

Duke shrugged, perhaps embarrassed. "Crazy dreams… that Yami and Yugi are alive."

"Yami _and_ Yugi?"

Duke flushed. "In the dreams… yeah, they're separate people."

"Hiding in the desert."

It was so unexpected that Duke spilled his tea. "Aaah!" he yelped, waving his scalded hand. "The desert?" he demanded, in between cries.

Seto raised his eyebrows. "You okay?" he asked calmly, struggling against a faint grin.

"Yes…" Duke said finally, fetching a cup of cooler water from a basin in the corner to dip his hand in. "What makes you say the desert?"

"What makes you react to that so violently?" Seto countered.

"Because…" Duke's eyes dropped. "Because that's where they are, in my dreams."

"Mine too." He raised a hand, cutting off further questions. "Stop. No debating this; no worrying about how it's impossible. Yami is still alive… the _Pharaoh_ is still alive. Yugi is still alive and they are two separate people hiding in the desert. Agreed?"

Duke's face split into a smile. "How serious and practical we are about this," he teased lightly, even while nursing his burned hand. "Even when you would have dismissed this as nothing more than crazy theories a year ago…"

Seto lifted his head firmly. "We're _agreed_?" he asked again, unwilling to admit that Duke was right.

"Y-yes…" Duke said, then more decisively: "Yes!" As if saying it would make it true.

Seto nodded. "Good. And you know that Joey escaped…"

"Yes," Duke said, with a genuine smile, "The Robas told me. That's why Tristan and Espa left; to go after him."

"They have an idea of where he is?" Seto demanded.

Duke shook his head and smiled again: "I doubt it."

Seto sighed and shut his eyes. "Well, neither do I. But it's good that they're looking. That's what I'm doing. Are you going to help me?"

"Of course," Duke declared. At Seto's surprised look, he grinned. "You knew I was going to say that, Kaiba, or why did you come here? Besides, it's about time we all started _doing_ something. That's why I'm so quick to agree to come… and I want to believe that everyone else is leaping at the chance to, you know. Save the world."

When Seto didn't say anything, Duke jumped out of his seat. "I'll start getting my things together," he announced. "Should we leave tonight?"

"Yes…" Seto said, although he really wanted to sleep…

Duke paused and glanced over his shoulder. "It'll, uh, take me a while to gather everything…" he said, looking at the circles under Seto's eyes. "Do you want to rest? So you're at full strength?"

He never received an answer… other than a faint snore. Duke broke into a smile, hoping that they would find Joey soon. Joey would _love_ to hear about this…

The lingering curve of his lips brought to his attention a strange fact: he had barely stopped smiling since Kaiba arrived. He wanted to keep these happy feelings for as long as possible.

xXx

"Oh, Odion!" Téa exclaimed, jumping off her bed and rushing to meet him as he stepped through the door. "I'm _so_ glad to see you again! Where have you been?"

Odion gingerly placed the tray of food down on the table and rubbed his head, turning to lock the door carefully. "Téa, I have good news…"

"What is it?" she asked eagerly, ignoring the food.

"Joey escaped," he informed her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her jaw dropped first, and her knees wobbled dangerously, but a smile blossomed on her face.

"Oh!" she cried, hugging herself. "Oh, I'm so _glad_."

"That's where I've been the last few days," he said, following her as she plopped happily on the bed. She snatched up a pillow and squeezed it tightly, unable to control her glee. Odion perched on the end of the bed, placing the food tray between them. "Marik and Bakura were… unhappy."

She shot a glance at him, quickly checking him over to be sure he was okay. "No one else wanted to be near them," he explained, "so I volunteered. I assume someone else took over feeding you?"

Téa nodded. "A woman named Mel."

"She was good to you?"

"Oh, she was fine," Téa said, "I just… missed you, I guess." She shot him a smile. "Because we're friends, right?"

"Yes… friends…" Odion said, but then sighed and rubbed his temple again. "And I want to help you, Téa."

"Help me?" she asked, stopping in the middle of reaching for a piece of bread.

Odion glanced around nervously, as if paranoid. "Listen, Téa. Marik and Bakura are especially angry because they've lost a bargaining chip. You see-"

Before he finished his sentence, the dreams she'd had the last several months replayed in her head in high speed. _Yugi and Yami oh they were alive they were hiding in the desert they were living in an oasis they were alive oh they were safe and they were two not one-_

"The Pharaoh lives," Odion said in a low voice. "He and Yugi Moto live- as two separate bodies now, no longer sharing control. They used the magic of the Millennium Puzzle to do this- and the Puzzle has helped them grow more powerful. Marik and Bakura believe that the two were hiding, probably in the desert, for the last year, training for the day the Pharaoh would attempt to take back what is his." Odion took a deep breath, noting the paleness of Téa's face: "But the Pharaoh is on the move now, and Marik and Bakura know even less than they did before. They are furious; they are in a tight position. But they had two playing chips on their side of the field…"

"Me and Joey," Téa said in a hollow voice.

"You and Joey," Odion echoed. "And now that Joey Wheeler has escaped…"

Téa slowly met his gaze, fear in her eyes: "It's just me."

Odion nodded slowly, then moved his hand to wrap around his own throat. Swallowing nervously, he breathed, "Let me help you. I can get you out of here."

It took a minute to sink in. "But wouldn't you be risking your _life_?" she cried.

"…yes…"


	10. Chapter 9

Sakakku

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Notes: The city Marik and Bakura live in is called Akuma. I know I haven't mentioned that yet because I only decided it last week. (Akuma = Devil, once again courtesy of Dragon's 1 Girl)

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Chapter 9

xXx

"Wow… it was never this hot in Marik and Bakura's dungeons…" Joey mumbled. "Well, duh, right? This is Egypt… most of it is a desert… just because Marik and Bakura go out of their way to make the palace dungeons as cold and miserable as possible doesn't mean the rest of the country is…" He wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. His shirt had been discarded long ago, although he'd regretted that the first night he'd been out in the desert. Nights were his favorite times, even so; their climate was what he was most accustomed to. Daytimes…

Well, they were brutal. Simple modesty training left his loose shorts on, although he didn't know why he bothered; there was no one out here. Good thing, too, because he couldn't afford to be recognized, and therefore couldn't go into any towns. And that's why he hadn't eaten in the last three days. "Good thing I'm used to small rations from prison," Joey muttered. But thirst was another matter entirely; he'd managed to lift a bottle of what he thought was water from another guard on his way out. It had turned out to be wine, which he wasn't entirely fond of, but it had lasted until last night.

Heat and thirst would kill him before long. He needed to find shelter quickly…

But he saw nothing as he stumbled on; only a rock somewhere off to the left, a gray lizard lazing on it. He wondered if he should head over there: if nothing else, it was shade, but… he wasn't sure he had the strength anymore.

Joey Wheeler never admitted defeat. _I'm not giving up… just resting,_ he thought, even as he sank to the ground. On his knees, he lifted his head for what could be his last time and peered straight ahead, into the sun.

A blonde woman slowly came into focus. She was wearing a simple blue dress but she was outlined in silver and gold… and she was floating, high in the sky. Her head was turned back, and the one eye Joey could see was staring at something anxiously. Then she turned her head forward again- she was familiar, so familiar. Joey had seen this woman before… but from where?

It wasn't… could it be Mai?

"Mai," he tried to whisper, but his mouth was too dry. He closed his eyes and rested his head in the sand.

xXx

Joey woke up slowly. The air was dank and cool, and he could tell it was dark. He groaned silently: he recognized this place. He was back in Marik and Bakura's dungeons.

But as he sniffed the air, and cracked an eye, something was off. The shape wasn't quite right… There weren't any bars… And that man standing over there definitely was not a Rare Hunter.

"Are you awake?" the stranger asked in an elegant accent.

"Uhh…" Joey groaned, putting a hand on his head. He had a headache bordering on migraine, but he noticed that his throat was moist and his belly was full. "How long have I been here?" he asked first, immediately wondering: _Where is 'here'_?

"Only a few hours, maybe half a day," the stranger answered. "We found you outside and brought you here. I fed you and gave you water in your sleep; you will be fine." He then hesitated: "I must admit, you were not the one we expected."

"You were expecting someone?" Joey asked. "Eh, where are we?"

"You are in my underground home," the man told him. "It is hidden from Marik and Bakura."

"Oh. Well, that's good," Joey said, blinking. "And… you are…"

"I am Shadi," the man said simply.

"Hey!" Joey said, sitting up fully. "I recognize your name. I heard it in the palace… and then Yugi told me a story about you a long time ago…"

"Yes," Shadi said, nodding. "I don't doubt that."

Joey paused a moment to glance around. "So, who were you expecting here?"

"Ishizu is outside waiting for them," Shadi said slowly.

"Ishizu?" Joey's brow crinkled. Of course; whenever the Rare Hunters talked about Shadi, they'd mentioned a woman. And once again, Yugi had told him something about her… He opened his mouth to ask another question about what they were doing here, but something unexpected slipped out. "I saw a woman outside."

"A woman?" Shadi mulled the idea over, frowning cautiously. "I do not think it was Ishizu. She and I went out together, and you were already unconscious…"

"I don't think it was her either," Joey announced. "Not unless she looks like Mai and can fly."

Shadi's brows raised. "Describe this woman, please?"

Joey had barely started when Shadi held up a hand. "I know who this is you speak of," he said, eyeing Joey, "but it is amazing that you were able to see her, if only in a vision. She is dead."

The proclamation was so sudden it took a while to sink in. "Eh? Dead?" Joey asked dazedly.

"Yes," Shadi intoned. "She died years ago, but has now come in spirit form to aid her living husband. Her husband and his two allies are the visitors Ishizu is awaiting outside."

"Who?" Joey asked blankly.

"The woman's name is Cecilia…" Shadi murmured, his thoughts trailing away.

Hold it. Back up. Joey gulped: another name he recognized. Cecilia Pegasus, Mai Valentine look-alike, deceased for years, accompanying her husband, who was…

xXx

"Maximillion Pegasus," Ishizu greeted the man, who did not look surprised to see her. His companions, on the other hand, were gaping at her.

"I know you!" Mokuba blurted out. "You're the woman from the museum! You gave Seto Obeli-" he stopped abruptly, breath catching in his throat.

"Hello, Mokuba… Kimo," she said, dipping her head. As the three of them watched her in confusion, she lifted her gaze to the air and put her hand to her heart. "Come in," she said finally, leading them inside the house.

"Oh, good, Joey, you are awake," she said calmly, waving her hands at the kitchen tables. Her three companions hesitantly took seats, except for Mokuba. "Oh, Joey!" he burst out, unable to hide his childish euphoria and flinging his arms around the blonde. "I'm so happy to see you! But- Seto was looking for you-"

"Sit, everyone," Ishizu said firmly. "Shadi and I will explain everything… except, perhaps, the appearance of Joey… which I did not expect," she said, almost plaintively, touching her Millennium Necklace gently.

Ishizu began: "I shall begin by describing what all of us have been up to the last year. Joey, you were a prisoner in Marik and Bakura's palace in the city Akuma, and I assume you escaped recently… Mokuba lived safely with Seto, and Pegasus was also a member of the upper-class, and I take it Kimo lived with him, continuing to serve him? Yes. Shadi and I have lived here, hiding from Marik and Bakura, studying scriptures and searching desperately for… anything. It was only recently that we discovered why Marik and Bakura are acting the way they are, and we will inform you of that in a minute. There is… a powerful magic at work."

Shadi took over. "Let us make something clear now: The Pharaoh is alive."

"Yeah, the Rare Hunters were talking about that!" Joey said excitedly.

"_Seto_ was talking about that…" Mokuba said slowly. Everyone turned to look at him and the boy blushed. "He was talking about how he thought Yami was alive… and then I started having dreams…"

"Dreams?" Joey and Pegasus exclaimed in unison, and Shadi held up a hand.

"Hear me. You all…" he shot a glance at a confused-looking Kimo- "Most of you have been having dreams about Yami. About Yami and Yugi Moto, two separate bodies, and their secret life in the desert, how they survive in an oasis. Many friends and allies of the Pharaoh will have had these dreams. Ishizu and I have come up with an explanation for this."

Ishizu took a deep breath and stared Pegasus in the eye. The real one, for she could tell the eye on the left was glass, to replace the stolen Millennium Eye. "Marik and Bakura are the victims of a dark magic. It is said that the person; or, in this case, group of people; who hold all three Egyptian God Cards will be motivated and ruled by greed, the desire for power, and evil will live in them.

"The only other people to hold all three Egyptian God Cards were myself, but for too short a period, and I had not had any previous desire to obtain their power. And you, Maximillion Pegasus."

Everyone's eyes slowly swerved to him; the man was looking fairly sick.

"But you were protected from the dark force," Ishizu said, taking a deep breath. She did not know if he would be able to handle this. "You and your wife were so close when she died that her spirit lingered close to you. And when you gained the Millennium Eye, you bound her spirit to this plane. A spirit living here attracts power… and when you tapped into the curse, Cecilia tried to protect you, and all the dark magic went into her spirit. Something so pure cannot be touched by evil, and this magic served only to enrich her.

"She is now quite powerful unto herself, but her magic _here_, in this plane, is limited. She follows you always, Maximillion Pegasus, unable to communicate with you, but doing her best to help you out. I believe it was Cecilia who sent the dreams of the Pharaoh to all his allies… and she has been guiding you through your desert trip."

"I could feel something…" Pegasus murmured. He closed his eyes and a tear slid down his right cheek. "Did I feel _her_?"

"I believe so," Shadi said. Kimo put a hand on his employer's- no, his _friend's_ shoulder. "Joey saw her."

All eyes turned to the blonde boy, who grinned weakly and waved. "She was, uh… beautiful," he said awkwardly, trying to ease the moment. He was feeling pity for Pegasus… who would have thought?

"Cecilia's power must be growing if Joey had a vision of her," Ishizu said softly.

"It seems as if she was visiting Joey," Shadi offered. "Perhaps she wanted to help him."

"She's not strong enough yet to help a being physically," Ishizu murmured. "Perhaps she wanted to offer Joey reassurance?"

"How would she reassure me?" Joey wondered aloud.

"I remember a duelist at Duelist Kingdom that reminded me of Cecilia," Pegasus mused aloud. "In looks only, of course. Mai Valentine was an extrovert, quite the opposite of my former wife. If I recall correctly, Joey was quite fond of Mai. Perhaps Cecilia thought the resemblance would help? Much the way a baby would be calmed by the presence of its mother or a close relative."

Joey wasn't sure whether to be highly insulted or extremely embarrassed. "I was _not_ fond of Mai!" he protested.

Of course, this attracted even more attention to him, and he blushed. Pegasus allowed himself a grin: "Joey, while I was in possession of the Millennium Eye, I could look inside your mind. I read all your thoughts!"

"Hey!" Joey yelped, folding his arms and glaring at Pegasus.

"What?" Mokuba asked curiously, looking around the room. "Did Joey have a crush on her or something?"

"_No_," he pouted, feeling rather immature.

"Oh, Mokuba," Ishizu said, changing the topic and making Joey very grateful, "I nearly forgot you were there. Are you okay? How much of the conversation did you understand?"

"Most of it," Mokuba admitted, "But I guess I'm a little confused…"

"That's all right," Shadi said, smiling fondly, "I suppose all that we've said here was just a guess anyway. I imagine that you're all tired from your journey; we have plenty of room for you to rest." Pegasus and Kimo obligingly stood up, and followed Shadi from the room. Mokuba trailed after, but Joey hesitated to follow.

"So what are we gonna do?" he asked Ishizu.

She shrugged, too worn out to answer. "Bob snuck in," she pointed out instead. She bent down and scooped up the gray lizard. "I've told you not to come in," she told the lizard, bringing him over to the door. Surprised, Joey trailed after her. "I bring him in from time to time for water, but he's happier outside," she told Joey as she cracked open the door and placed Bob in the sand. He ambled away.

"Bob, huh?" Joey asked, craning his neck to look at Bob before Ishizu shut the door. When it closed, however, he seemed to remember what he'd wanted to talk to her. "We can't just stay here and do nothing!" Joey said heatedly. "We have to go searching for Yugi! And Yami! And… and all our friends!"

"Joey, please. I understand as well as you. Shadi and I will discuss this tonight, but you need to sleep."

He hesitated, but finally trotted down the hallway. "We'd better be doing something worthwhile by tomorrow," he muttered as he chased after Shadi and the others.

Ishizu tiredly got herself a cup of wine and drank it slowly; it probably wasn't wise, as she and Shadi would no doubt stay up and plot half the night. Her eyes fluttered as she made her way to her bedroom.

Shadi was waiting for her, sitting solemnly on the floor. "I believe Cecelia may be the reason so many of the Pharaoh's friends and allies ended up here, in Egypt," he announced as she passed through the doorway. "When Domino fell first, everyone fled to this area. After all the world was razed, it no longer mattered where everyone ended up. By some coincidence, they all arrived here."

Ishizu forced her head to move up and down in a nod. She was tired, so tired… she tried to sit down, but her knees gave way and she fell on them.

"Ishizu?" Shadi asked, looking up in concern. She gave a half-hearted moan and pitched to the side, her Millennium Necklace glowing gold:

xXx

It was Yami; that was the first thing Ishizu noticed. All she could see at first was a pair of glowing, dangerous crimson eyes peeking out from under the hood, but with the sixth sense that came with her visions she knew it was the Pharaoh. Walking timidly beside him was Yugi; he was clutching a girl's hand. This was Serenity, Joey's sister. She wore white bandages over her eyes, and was holding onto both Yugi and Mai's hands. While one hand clutched Serenity, helping to guide her, Mai used the other hand to brush damp curls off her face; she was tired.

Images flashed by Ishizu's eyes, and after a moment she was inside a house. It was tidy and well-kept, but there were shouts coming from a room to the left. One by one, identical-looking boys poured out, looking refreshed. They headed to the kitchen table, glancing around curiously, as if they expected to see someone. But the youngest centered in on a letter lying in the middle of the table, and read it aloud to his brothers. They all nodded, looking vaguely concerned.

As she continued to watch, a knock sounded at the door, and one of the brothers went to answer it. He came back in a few seconds later, followed by Mai.

She was looking extremely confused, and asked the boys a few questions. They nodded, and talked to her, and the youngest boy handed her the note. She read it quickly, eyes widening, and then asked them something else.

They were still talking as Ishizu's vision faded, but she saw dim flashes of the boys leaving the house, waving good-bye, and heading to the next town to perform their circus acts. Mai and Serenity and Yugi and Yami gathered in the empty house for an hour, talked briefly, and headed out of the town again.

Ishizu tried to hold onto the vision a moment longer, and was rewarded with a glimpse of the desert. Seto and Duke were headed one way, and Tristan and Espa the other. Yami and his friends were headed in the opposite direction of Seto and Duke… Ishizu wished she could cry out to them…

But the path they seemed to be taking would catch them up to Tristan and Espa in three days, if they moved fast.

xXx

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Notes: In a few chapters, I'll probably start introducing OC's. Oh, come on, saving the world is a big job. I'm running low on cast members, not to mention Rare Hunters. ::shrug:: If you're worried about OCs taking over the story, well, they will have large roles depending on which OC. It's kind of unlikely that the YuGiOh characters would just keep running into each other this whole time, right? Odds are that they'd meet other people, good and bad, who would help them in some way. But by the end of the story the focus will be primarily on the existing YuGiOh cast.


	11. Chapter 10

Sakakku

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Notes: I spelled Kimo's name wrong. Dang. I'm going to leave it like that since I've written several chapters involving him and I'm too darn lazy to change it. Smart reviewers like you will figure out what I mean, right? (Is it true that flattery will get you anywhere in life?)

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Chapter 10

xXx

"We're lost," Duke grumbled.

"Yes," Seto replied coolly, leafing through his deck. If he Summoned a Crush Card, what would it do?

"We've been lost for two days!" Duke exclaimed, kicking at the sand. It stirred a little, and he glared at it balefully.

Seto continued his steady path: "More or less." Did Trap and Magic Cards even work in this new type of Dueling?

"We have a bit of food left," Duke mumbled, hefting the pack on his shoulders.

"I know," he responded. Did the Monsters keep their special effects when you Summoned them? What would happen if he Summoned Lord of Dragons?

"But didn't you say the water you're carrying is running low?" Duke asked, taking a few longer strides to keep up with Seto.

"Yes." If he Summoned Lord of Dragons, and if it kept the special effect, and if he could Summon Flute of Summoning Dragons…

"We should have brought more."

"Of course we should have!" Seto snapped, trying not to lose his concentration. Too many 'if's. Would it make Summoning his powerful dragons any easier?

"Well, excuse _me_," Duke retorted. "I did ask you if it was enough water, didn't I? And you said _Yes__, we should be reaching another village before long_." He flailed his slender arms. "I think it's been long enough, Kaiba! Why couldn't we take water for safety again? Because it would _Attract__ attention_? For crying out loud, we could carry a giant flashing sign that says 'FRIENDS OF THE PHARAOH' and no one out here would care!"

"Lord of Dragons!" Seto roared, holding his Monster Card aloft. The Summoning had grown easier over time and Lord of Dragons appeared swiftly.

"Aaaah!" Duke yelled, jumping back as Lord of Dragons planted its feet firmly in the sand right in front of him. "Kaiba! Didn't I tell you to _warn_ me before you did that again?"

"Go! Flute of Summoning Dragon!" Seto held the card arrogantly in front of Lord of Dragons, waiting.

Lord of Dragons reached up deftly and seemed to pull a flute out of thin air. Duke watched with wide eyes as the Monster put the flute to its lips. "Seto? Didn't you say Marik and Bakura can sense the Summonings?"

"Devlin, you ask this every time," Seto responded coldly, watching Lord of Dragons with narrowed eyes. "_Yes_. They can."

"Well, why do you keep Summoning?" Duke whined.

Seto might have answered, but it was drowned out. The Flute of Summoning Dragons was impossibly loud! Duke yelped and clamped his hands to his ears. "Well, if they didn't _sense_ that, Marik and Bakura sure _heard_ it!" he hollered.

Seto clenched his teeth. The sound might be painful, but his deck was glowing a brilliant white. With a fierce grin of triumph, he put two fingers lightly to his deck, and two of his Blue Eyes White Dragons appeared, roaring a deadly sound.

xXx

Shadi walked up to the kitchen the next morning to see the visitors already sitting there. His eyes traveled from person to person: an eager Joey, a nervous Mokuba, a disturbed Pegasus, and a concerned Kimo.

"So where are we going?" Joey asked.

"Nowhere, for the time," Shadi responded.

"What??" Joey exclaimed. "I need to go out there! We need to _do_ something!"

"Listen," Shadi replied quietly. He explained about Ishizu's vision.

"All of them?" Joey asked incredulously. "Yugi and Yami and my sister? And-" he swallowed- "Mai? They're all together?" When Shadi nodded, his face split into a giant grin. "This is _great_!" he said, jumping up. "This is fantastic news!"

"I do not know where they are," Shadi cautioned. "Ishizu might be able to tell us, but she is sleeping. She has been pushing her Millennium Necklace too hard as of late. After this vision of your friends, she had a final vision that she was able to tell me and fell unconscious."

"Oh no!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Is she okay?"

"She needs rest," Shadi said, bowing his head so they could no longer see his eyes. His brow, however, was lined with worry. "But I believe she will be fine."

"What was the final vision?" Kimo spoke up. The man was clever and perceptive, Shadi noted, as well as obviously loyal to his employer. Pegasus had chosen his friend well.

"There is a storm," Shadi said. "A large one. It will blow across many miles of open desert, making traveling dangerous. It will be over within a day, but until then we should not venture outside."

"You're kidding!" Joey said loudly, smacking his fist on the table. "I want to leave _now_!"

"You should not," Shadi said solemnly. "The risk is great. Wait until the storm passes and Ishizu recovers, Joey, and then we can move on."

"I-" Joey began, but Mokuba, of all people, shushed him.

"Joey, let's wait," Mokuba begged, tugging on his sleeve. "I don't want to go in the desert now. I miss Seto, and I want to find him as much as you want to find your friends, but we can't go out into a storm!"

Joey glanced down at Mokuba. His eyes first softened, then gleamed with a sudden spark. "Okay," he said, ruffling the boy's dark hair. "But we leave as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Pegasus and Shadi said in unison.

"I'm just going to go back to my room," Joey said slowly, getting up. "And… sleep or something."

Mokuba yawned. "I will too, I think," he said, rubbing his eyes blearily. Joey shot him a suspicious look, but relaxed when he saw the tiredness in Mokuba's eyes.

"Shadi?" Pegasus asked tentatively. "Might I have a word with you? In- in private?"

"I'll attend to young Mokuba," Kimo announced suddenly, rising. He shot a smile at Pegasus and left the room, leaving Shadi and Pegasus alone.

"Of course," Shadi said, rising. "But perhaps you would not mind moving this conversation to my library? It is not the most comfortable of rooms, but I need to do some research."

"That's fine," Pegasus said agreeably, and the two moved out.

The kitchen and front room lay quiet for five minutes. And so did Joey Wheeler, who was crouching in his bedroom with his ear pressed to the door. After a while, he judged that everyone was gone and tentatively pushed the door open. He glanced around in paranoia as he grabbed a few canteens of water. He only had a small pack, so slung them all over his shoulders. He took a loaf of bread in the pack, knowing that Shadi and Ishizu would forgive him, and slowly slipped outside.

It was early morning as far as he could tell, and horribly bright. Joey squinted his eyes almost closed and moved with his head bent all the way over. He would find shelter before the storm hit, but hopefully he would only have to stop moving for a few hours. His entire being was filled with thoughts of finding his friends, and his sister.

And Mai.

In fact, he was so absorbed, he didn't notice that he'd picked up a fat gray hitchhiker. Bob, having slipped off the rock and into his pack as Joey brushed by, was happily munching on the bread that had recently come into Joey's possession.

xXx

"Okay, great job," Duke said, his voice growing a little hysterical. "Now can you tell them to go away?"

Lord of Dragons turned a little to look at him, and Duke cringed. "Kaiba?"

Seto was still standing, fighting within himself. Just Summoning Lord of Dragons and Flute of Summoning Dragons had been hard, no matter how easily the Blue Eyes had come afterwards. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lie down, but he had his pride. "Well done, my Monsters," he grunted, and the three of them disappeared. Duke breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," he apologized, once he was under control. "The Monsters just scare me a little. It's… different, that's all. I mean… well. Never mind."

Seto ignored his rambling. "I'm going to sit a moment," he announced, and sunk to the ground, holding his head up high.

Duke stared at him with wide eyes. "Sit? But we have to keep moving! Now Marik and Bakura know where we are!"

"They have a vague idea," Seto corrected.

"But-" Duke began, but was cut off by a sudden, sharp wind. "Ack!" he spluttered as sand blew in his face. "Great."

The wind blew by again, this time so strong that Duke stumbled back. "What the-?" he exclaimed, before the wind knocked him down.

Seto, still sitting, cracked open an eye and was hit in the face with sand. He clenched his teeth, willing himself not to scream, and started rubbing the sand out of his eye.

"Did you do this?" Duke screamed, but his voice was coming from far away.

"No!" Seto retorted, finally getting the painful sand out of his eye and closing them tightly. "It's a desert storm, Devlin."

"A storm?" That was all Seto heard of Duke's voice. He strained his ears, but nothing happened. He didn't dare open his eyes again; instead he crouched down under his black trenchcoat and protected himself from the wind.

"DEVLIN!!!" Seto hollered, but the wind whipped his voice away. "DEVLIN!!" He thought he heard someone calling back, "I'm over here," but it was too hard to tell.

The storm came on suddenly, and harsh. Seto had known that desert storms were rough, painful experiences, but had never realized how easy it was to get lost in them.

He'd heard many stories about people dying in these storms. The thought occurred to him briefly that he might be next, but he refused to believe it. He stiffened his muscles against the wind and burrowed farther into the sand, realizing that it was piling on his back as well. He was tired from the Shadow Realm Summonings, so tired… he'd just sleep the storm through.

xXx

"The old fortune teller says that there's going to be a storm today," Ezra told Anuba. She was crouching before the water reserve on the edge of town, staring at her reflection in the blue pool. The village was a nice one by most standards, but even more isolated than others.

Anuba, her tamed jackal, was standing a few feet beyond the water reserve. Anuba's ears were cocked and she was staring intently into the desert.

"Has it started?" Ezra asked curiously, rising to her feet.

When Anuba whimpered, Ezra grew a little worried. She walked up behind the jackal and placed a hand on Anuba's head, gazing into the desert with clouded golden eyes. "I hear something!" she said, startled. It sounded like music… but no one would be playing music out in the desert. Especially not in a storm, and especially not that loud. "It's pretty though," she said after a pause. "It sounds a bit like a flute."

Ezra and Anuba stood at the edge of the desert long after the music faded. "I think the storm is starting," Ezra said dubiously; the music hadn't been a freak trick of wind, had it?

She was startled out of thought when Anuba gave a loud bark and bounded forward into the desert. "Anuba!" she yelled. "Don't go out there!" Normally, the jackal would have rushed right back to her side; but this time Anuba turned and gave her a haunted look before trotting slowly into the desert. Ezra hesitated only a moment before rushing after the jackal.

The storm came on fast; one of the worst she'd ever seen. Anuba had soon returned to her side and guided her forward to… well, she didn't know what yet.

Luckily, it wasn't far until Anuba found what she was apparently looking for. She rushed ahead and buried her nose in the sand, uncovering a small strip of black. Advancing forward cautiously, Ezra reached out and brushed a light dusting of sand off the figure in front of her. When she revealed more of the black cloth, her brow furrowed, and she began sweeping harder. Her hand soon came into contact with something warm, however, and she drew away quickly.

Anuba padded up and nudged the thing. Sand fell away to reveal a groggy, filthy face. The eyes of the boy squinted open briefly, revealing a bright cerulean, and then closed again.

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Notes: Ezra's character/looks are based off of one of my buddies, Mamono. I asked her if she would consent to be in the story. Some of my OCs will be mostly original, but some will be like Ezra- based off of someone I know. See, it's easier for me to write if I have a solid understanding of the character, not to mention more fun. ::grins::

I invented the name Anuba from a derivation of Anubis. Anubis is the jackal-headed Egyptian god. Among other things, he protects the dead, which _might_ come into play later on. We'll have to see.

Joey's little 'hitchhiker' is the idea I got from combining suggestions from hobbitfeet13 (more Bob ) and from Mamono (Joey in comic trouble ). I referenced it a long while back. Thanks again guys!


	12. Chapter 11

Sakakku

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Chapter 11

xXx

Duke finally stumbled out of the storm. It was pretty amazing; once he got far enough away he dared to look over his shoulder. It was like a wall of sand.

It took him five minutes of internal agony to decide whether to go after Seto or now. It was probably the right thing to do, but what were the odds of finding him again? And he _wasn't_ about to go back onto the storm.

Then there was the constant worry that Marik and Bakura would follow the Shadow Summonings. If Rare Hunters found him out there…

He and Kaiba had been walking _into_ the sun before. He took a deep breath, saluted the storm and wished Seto luck, and turned his back to it.

He thought only about escaping his current situation. He had no idea he was on an intercept course with not only Tristan Taylor and Espa Roba, but Yami and Yugi, Serenity and Mai.

xXx

"I have no disguise!" Joey realized aloud. A bit late, since the thought only occurred to him as a small village came in his line of sight. The only item of clothing he had with him was the simple tunic he'd gotten at Shadi and Ishizu's. He doubted wearing the small pack over his head would be inconspicuous.

After a while of fretting, he came to a satisfactory conclusion: he would eat and _then_ think. Food always helped his brain anyway.

"Maybe no one will notice me?" he mused as he slung the pack containing the bread around and unzipped it. It was already partially open, but he didn't pay attention. "Naah- they would have to know me. I _was_ runner-up in Duelist Kingdom, after all. They'd recognize m- _aaah_"

Bob blinked dolefully up at him.

"You've been eating my bread!" Joey accused the lizard. Bob didn't seem to care. "Wait- you came all the way from Shadi's rock? I've been walking all day!" He paused: "Walking all day without food. If you'll excuse me-" He broke off a large piece from an area without lizard bite marks and shoved half of it in his mouth at once. "So what do you suggest?" he asked with his mouth full. "You think I could disguise myself?"

Bob crawled out of the pack and up Joey's leg. He settled himself on the rough cloth of Joey's tunic and went to sleep.

"You're brilliant, Bob!" Joey said, smiling. "I'll sleep, and go in the village at night! And then, uh… well, I can figure things out from there!"

xXx

"Which house, which house?" Joey mumbled. "I guess I'll let you decide." He reached into the pack and pulled out Bob. He was sleeping.

Joey put Bob down on the ground and waited. He kept on sleeping.

"You're no help," Joey grumbled, scooping up the lizard again and putting him back in the pouch with the remainder of the bread. "Ah… let's see… this one!" He pointed triumphantly at a small house about two hundred feet down the road. There was a flickering light, as if from a candle, that he could vaguely see through the sheet of cloth hanging over a window.

As he walked, he wondered briefly if he should try and disguise himself; but he had nothing available. Then he wondered what he should do if the people in the house recognized him and called the Rare Hunters. But he'd never really been one to worry about these sorts of things. He'd take them as they came.

He knocked on the door.

It didn't take the person inside long to get to the door. A girl, about ten, swung open the door and gazed up at him. She had large, innocent brown eyes and a pouty mouth.

"Eh, hi there," Joey said, grinning down at her. "What's your name?"

"Sara," the girl said. She spoke with a lisp.

"Hi, Sara," Joey said slowly, wondering how Serenity would have dealt with a child. She'd probably be very patient and understanding, he decided. "Is your mommy home?"

The girl slowly swung her head. "My mommy died when I was born," she said solemnly.

Joey's jaw dropped. "Oh- ah- sorry-" he stammered. How would Serenity deal with _this_? "I'm sorry," he said again. "Uh, is your dad home?"

Sara shook her head again. "He left Peter and me when Peter was old enough to watch me all by his self," she told him.

It was funny how close he felt to her right now. "Okay," he said, blinking, trying to collect his thoughts. "Who's Peter?"

"My big brother," Sara said, and behind her back a tall boy appeared. By the tousled light blonde hair the same shade as Sara, Joey guessed that this was her older brother.

"Peter?" he asked, trying out his trademark goofy grin.

"Yes," Peter said, reaching down and picking up Sara. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Ah-" Joey stammered. Odd how he hadn't really thought about that. "I kind of need a place to stay for the night," he finally said. It wasn't entirely true; he wouldn't have minded sleeping out in the desert. But it could be dangerous and besides, he needed food and water. If he stayed here, he hoped that the people would feed him.

Of course, there was more than one kind of food. Above all, he wanted information.

"There's a place down the street," Peter said, pointing. "It's a public place; we get a few travelers here. There are mattresses lined up in a building and right outside is a well. The man in charge will also feed you the first three meals for free."

"I, uh…" Joey's voice trailed off. How could he explain to them that he _couldn't_ go there? He couldn't take a chance on being seen.

"Peter?" A girl came out of the back room, ducking through the folds of cloth hanging over the doorways. She was wearing, Joey was surprised to see, neon blue robes with green swirls on them. He'd thought that everyone was wearing muted colors; at least, that's all he'd seen.

The girl, looking a few years younger than Peter, (probably his own age) stopped abruptly. Her blonde hair, cut a little past her chin, swished across her face. She was clutching a paintbrush in her hand, and now she jabbed that at him. "I know you," she said, looking at his features wide-eyed. "You're Joey Wheeler! The duelist! Marik and Bakura's prisoner!"

Joey gulped.

"I _thought_ I recognized you," Peter said in surprise, turning back to look him over more carefully. "Joey Wheeler?"

"Yeah," he answered, waving a hand weakly.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked, stepping back.

"I told you," Joey said, one hand patting the side of his tunic softly. His deck was hidden away in there. "I need a place to stay."

The boy seemed about to say something, but: "Let him stay, Peter," the girl interrupted. "I want to ask him a lot of things. Like what he's doing here. Why he's not in the dungeons."

Peter looked between Joey and the girl a few times, then reached behind Joey and closed the door softly. "I'll put Sara to bed," he said quietly, and the young girl shifted in his arms. "You can give him some water, Nikkō."

The girl, whose name Joey surmised was Nikkō, nodded and flashed Peter a smile. As Peter ducked through one opening, Nikkō turned and went through another. Assuming he was supposed to follow her, Joey trotted after her and found himself in… a surprising room.

"What is this?" he asked, turning in circles.

"Hm? This? It's what Sara calls the 'Picture' room." She crossed over to a stone well, prominently placed in the middle of the room. "She said that because Peter and I paint- make pictures- in here a lot. But that's not really the only thing we do."

"I- see," Joey said, still amazed. The well was in the center of the room, surrounded by several large plants and flowers. Half-finished easels stood at random intervals. There were ferns in clay pots in every corner.

To his right stood a giant loom, with a purple-and-blue pattern mostly finished. Next to that were several stone benches; reams of cloth were haphazardly draped over them. Several poles were planted in the ground and robes like the colorful one Nikkō was wearing were on them, looking finished.

"So- I take it you're the artsy type?" Joey asked, dazed.

"Yeah," Nikkō said, turning from the well with a bucket of water and a smile. "Peter and I- watch out!"

Joey turned to see two buckets of clay behind him; he'd been about to back into them. "Oh- thanks." He accepted the water and began chugging it; it felt wonderful.

"Do you want me to take your stuff?" Nikkō asked with a small grin.

"Yeah, thanks." One by one, Joey unslung the canteens and handed them to her; she tossed them on top of a mound of straw. "How'd you get all this stuff?" he asked, unfastening his pack.

"Imports. There's a man in town we pay to travel and get us raw materials," Nikkō shrugged. "Peter and I make a living by selling our art."

"To everyone?" Joey handed her the pack.

"Well, mostly people in this town. From what Robin- the man who gets the materials for us- told us, nowhere else is as cheerful as here. Except maybe the towns along the seashore." With a smile, she indicated the dried seaweed hanging from a line off to her right.

"Wow… oh, wait a second!"

Nikkō paused, about to put the pack with the canteens. "Yes?"

With a sheepish grin, Joey reclaimed the pack from her. "I'm sorry- I forgot he was in here-" With a flourish, he pulled out a still-dozing Bob. "I hope you don't mind lizards…"

Nikkō let out a squeal. "I _love_ them!" she said, swooping down and snatching Bob from Joey. "He's perfect! Wait a second-" She positively dashed across the room and gently placed Bob in the middle of a potted fern. He lay peacefully in the dirt. "Excellent," she proclaimed, and headed toward one of the easels. Bemused, Joey followed her, and discovered a half-finished painting of the fern. With quick, deliberate strokes, Nikkō picked up a paintbrush, selected paint that looked like a lumpy grey puddle in a bowl next to her, and began sketching in Bob. Joey was amazed to find that the gross grey stuff worked like a charm.

"Hey, you're good!" He exclaimed after watching her for a while.

"Yes, she is," Peter said, striding into the room. He smiled fondly at Nikkō.

"Let's talk," she said, without looking up. "I can multitask."

Peter looked expectantly at Joey, and he shrugged. "Well- uh- I'm not really sure how much there is to say. I escaped from the prisons-"

"How?" Peter interrupted, and Joey launched into the tale. Even to his own ears, it sounded unbelievable, but Nikkō kept nodding as she worked and Peter always agreed with her.

"So, uh…" Joey wound up, scratching his nose. "I don't really know where I'm gonna go now."

"How do you expect to find your friends?" Nikkō switched paints, wiping her hands carelessly on her robe, and started painting in the details of Bob's face.

"I… don't know," Joey said, feeling deflated. "I really don't know."

"If I were you," Nikkō said, craning her neck to peer at Bob, "I'd get a better disguise. Then I'd go back to the main city. Akuma. Back to the palace."

"Are you serious?" Joey asked doubtfully.

"They'd have the most news there," she said, getting up to gently prod Bob. He slowly opened his eyes and she studied them quickly. "And if any of your friends have been captured, they'd be there. Or… if they've been captured and they're _not _there, there's not much you can do anyway."

"If they're free?" Joey asked, deciding he'd rather believe that they were.

"Find out everything Marik and Bakura know," Nikkō advised, leaning back to study her work. "Then it's a race. Who can find them first."

"I think you're right," Joey said after a pause. Nikkō put the brush down and got up.

"Either way, it's late," she said, stretching. "We should talk more in the morning."

"You're right," Peter said almost immediately. She smiled fondly at him.

"Okay," Joey said hesitantly, wondering what he should do.

"You can stay here," Peter said, nodding at him. "Nikkō and I have a room next to Sara's, but we usually sleep in this room anyway. There are several cots." He indicated a lump of straw and cloth. "You can have our room."

"All right," Joey said gratefully. "Say- are you brother and sister too?"

"No," Nikkō responded. "Peter and Sara are brother and sister, but I'm not part of the family."

"Not _yet_," Peter interjected.

She smiled. "Peter and I have been dating a while. When… well, when Marik and Bakura took over the world, we moved in together."

"Oh," Joey said. He lifted a hand to them. "Thanks. Oh- should I bring Bob with me?"

"He's fine in here," Nikkō said, winking. Joey grinned and ducked out of the room.

Their bedroom was easy to find; there was no curtain over it. The two empty single beds, one on each side of the room, tipped him off. He crawled into one of them and was asleep almost instantly.

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Notes: Sara is original. Peter is _sort of_ based off a random guy who only knows me as 'that stalker', and yes I'm kidding. Nikkō is based on my friend Nicole, who some of you might know as Dragon's 1 Girl, co-writer and/or beta of many of my fics.

By the way, at the beginning of this fic I started out with no OCs. By the end as well, most of the OCs will be gone or reestablished, with the exception of… ::counts on fingers:: two, I think. Things kind of come full circle, I suppose.


	13. Chapter 12

Sakakku

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Notes: Many people guessed that Weevil was the boy who overheard Yugi and Serenity way back in Chapter 6, and that Rex was his friend. (Or they guessed the other way around. I know I said Mai would remember and dislike the boy; she would remember and dislike Weevil too [from Duelist Kingdom; you can either pretend they ran into each other or if you've seen the longer version of Yugi's duel with Weevil, she was watching], even if at first glance it seems like Rex. -) Kudos to you. Weevil and Rex are sort of second-class citizens; although due to their skills at Duel Monsters, they kept their decks; they have to be in the same housing as the third-classers.

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Chapter 12

xXx

"Hey. Open up."

Weevil waited impatiently; Rex always did take forever getting to the door. He knocked twice more before the door swung open, revealing a groggy Rex Raptor.

"Don't tell me you were sleeping?" Weevil sneered.

Rex glared pointedly at the sky; it was still dark. The sun was only beginning to peep in the far east. "What are you doing here, Underwood? I thought you weren't going to visit until next month?"

"Yeah, well, change of plans." Weevil shrugged his way inside. Rex locked the door and followed him into the 'living room', which was still dark. Rex made as if to shove aside the dingy curtains covering the window, but Weevil grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing, bug?" Rex demanded, reflecting even as he did how odd their friendship was.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Weevil smirked. "After all, that's the mistake that brought me here…"

Rex scowled, but sat down. "Okay, what do you mean?" he asked against his will. "You opened your blinds and…"

"Not me," Weevil said superiorily. "Yugi Moto."

Rex raised his eyebrows. "Yugi Moto?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yugi Moto," Weevil repeated. "You know how I live next to his friends? Joey Wheeler's sister and Mai Valentine?"

Rex scowled at Mai's name, remembering how she'd played him for a fool. "_Yes_," he said sourly.

"Well, Yugi Moto showed up at their house not one week ago," Weevil said with an important air.

"How do you know?"

Weevil rolled his eyes. "He _shouted_ his name for Serenity Wheeler to hear. No doubt she heard; _I_ did, all the way across the street. Then they went inside and kept talking, and the window was open. I saw a lot. Heard a lot. Found out a lot."

"Well?" Rex demanded. "Tell me already!"

So Weevil began outlining all he'd learned from Yugi and Serenity's brief conversation. Yugi and Yami's separate bodies; their time spent in the desert. The quest for the return of the Pharaoh; the journey they were about to take.

"Are you sure about this?" Rex asked doubtfully. "Yugi and… and Yami? There's two Yugi's?"

"I'm positive," Weevil stated. "I _saw_ Yugi's other half. The Yami half. He and Mai came in a few minutes later. Unfortunately, one of them wised up, and they drew the curtain over the window and lowered their voices the rest of the night. I'm pretty sure they left at dawn, because they were gone by the time I woke up the next day."

"Huh," Rex snorted, absorbing everything. Then: "So why'd you come here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Weevil asked disparagingly. "So you can come with me."

"Come with you?" Rex asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," Weevil said.

"I don't think…"

"Figures." The boy sneered. "I should have known you'd be too afraid."

Rex was instantly on his feet. "I am _not_ afraid."

"Prove it." Weevil smirked up at him. "Come with me."

"Well, I…" Rex started, then caught sight of the look on Weevil's face. "Come with you where?"

"To _Akuma_, of course," Weevil said in exasperation.

"Why? To tell on Yugi?"

"Raptor, your skull is as thick as those Pachy-dinosaur things."

"Pachycephalosaurus," Rex said indignantly. "It is _not_."

Weevil rolled his eyes. Rex glared at him and repeated his question: "So you want to tell on Yugi?"

Weevil sighed and closed his eyes a minute. "Revenge…" he said dreamily. "Yugi humiliated me in a duel, and so did his little friend Joey later on. You'd think that reporting them to Marik and Bakura would be the best form of revenge, wouldn't you?" When Rex nodded, Weevil scowled. He didn't even have to open his eyes to see his friend. "You're a dunce. You don't understand. Reporting them to Marik and Bakura would do _what_? Land them in prison, get them sent to that Shadow-Realm? They'd either escape or rot away. And I wouldn't be able to see it. I wouldn't be there, reminding them that I'm the superior one.

"Now, saving them. That's different. If I save them, if I help them- they'll be in my debt. And you know Yugi. He would never forget it. It would torture him night and day, knowing he could never repay this." Weevil's smile wasn't altogether pleasant, but it was real. "Besides," he continued, squinting one eye open. "This world? Not up my alley." When Rex didn't say anything, he opened both eyes and stared Rex down from behind his glasses. "Come on, Raptor. You dinosaur enough to take on the challenge?"

xXx

_Odion, where are you…_

In all honesty, Téa had to admit that she wasn't expecting him to bring her lunch for a few more hours. But she was desperately afraid for him, ever since he'd announced his intention of helping her escape.

She was willing to do anything to take her mind off her anxiety; even take up the loathsome trade of sewing. During the time Odion had been gone, Mel had attended to her. She was a rather sullen, impersonal woman with long, black hair that fell to the floor in curls. It was quite beautiful, not at all suited to the pale, sunken face underneath. In any case, Téa hadn't spoken to the Rare Hunter at all; she was afraid Mel would realize that Téa was used to chatting so casually with Odion. Besides, the woman had scared her. But one day, Mel had come in with an old-fashioned sewing kit and three bolts of cloth, with a curt "Masters Marik and Bakura wish for you to learn this trade." The sexist pigs.

Téa was currently sitting at the small, polished table, glancing over the array of materials in disgust. At first, she'd let the bright cloths sit, untouched, with the needles and scissors and things Téa really didn't recognize lying on top. She'd spent many long hours glaring at them balefully, wishing for a soccer ball or tennis racket or _something_ productive. When Odion had come back, she'd completely forgotten about them. But now she approached the pile, bored out of her mind. Touching them, she was surprised to learn that the cloths Marik and Bakura had provided her with were of silk. Deep black, searing purple, and stunning blue. She grimly wondered how much damage the tiny scissors would do to them.

But on second thought, she changed her mind. Running her fingers over the cloth thoughtfully, she thought of Odion's escape plan. All the clothes she had were white, tan or yellow; she was pretty sure they'd give her away. Perhaps she could sew herself a cloak?

She dubiously picked up the blue. Black would be the best, she _knew_ that, but she couldn't bear to touch it. It was too dark and depressing. And purple reminded her of the Rare Hunters, so blue it was. It would be dark enough to escape by anyway. Assuming Odion's plans got that far.

xXx

Odion moved swiftly down the halls. His companion, a short and stock boy with brown hair cut into a cap-style, hurried to keep up with him. "Yes, I was told to lock Téa Gardner's room," he said. "What of it?"

Odion stopped in his tracks and whirled around. "Wait," he said, striding to the nearest door. "Come in here."

The boy, looking confused, ducked inside it. "Storage room?" he asked, turning around.

"Yes," Odion said, gesturing at the shelves of dried plants. "For spells. I believe that you'll be using this later, right?"

"Marik mentioned something about a storage room," the boy admitted. "This is it?"

"I believe so," Odion nodded. "That was not why I called you in here, however. Geoff, I spoke with your mother before… before. She assured me that you would help me."

"Help you?" Geoff asked, his brows raising.

Odion seemingly ignored the question. "You and your sister were brought here to use your modest magic to lock up this palace and these dungeons; to perfect the security. Which rooms were you assigned?"

"The north end of the dungeon, Malik's quarters, Téa Gardner's room, and several other rooms at the north side of the palace," Geoff recited. "Kaya has Ryou Bakura's rooms, the south side of the dungeon, and I think she's supposed to take care of the rooms to the south-east and south-west of the palace."

"Okay. You were told to lock Téa's rooms. Marik and Bakura won't hurt Master Malik, but I don't know what they'll do to Téa if it means they can hurt the Pharaoh. I intend to get her out of here within the fortnight."

"_How_?" Geoff demanded. "Do you have any idea the risk you're taking?"

"Yes," Odion said seriously, crossing his arms. "And that's why I know I cannot do it alone. I don't ask you to put your life in danger, Geoff. I ask you to help save an innocent girl."

xXx

"Agh!" Téa gasped. She'd been pleased in a distant, sarcastic way to find that she was pretty good with sewing, considering her past experiences had been limited to repairing tiny holes and hemming. Of course, she hadn't expected to be perfect at it; she'd just stabbed her finger with the needle.

She held the finger up ruefully before her eyes, squinting. A small bead of red blood appeared. She was wondering if there was something to blot it with, staring absently at the wound, when she noticed something swirling in it. Shivers running up her spine, she slowly moved the finger.

There it was again. As she stared into her own blood, it seemed to focus. Reflecting in the red depths, she saw her own face gazing blankly back. And hovering over her left shoulder was a woman. A blonde woman, with soft blue-grey eyes. She was dressed in gold and outlined in silver, and light glittered off her whole being.

Slowly, Téa turned to look over her shoulder. Nothing. She turned quickly back to the drop of blood, but it was back to being a clear red. After a few seconds, she got up and blotted the wound on a handkerchief.

Enough.

xXx

"You know, someone is planning on helping Miss Gardner escape," Marik said lazily.

Bakura sipped his wine. "I felt it. Any speculations on who it is?"

"No," Marik frowned. "I suspected _someone_ would, of course. I believe dear Téa has recently become our most important prisoner."

"You know, I think you're right," Bakura said, frowning thoughtfully. "There are our lights…"

"They're weak and useless," Marik said abruptly. They always left this topic as soon as possible. Whenever they began discussing the hikaris, something funny would stir inside them. It felt like something was clawing from within- and neither of them liked it.

"Well, we have Odion to keep an eye on her," Bakura said decisively. "And perhaps you can order a few extra guards around her corridor. She won't escape."

"Hmm…" Marik murmured, furrowing his brow in concentration. "Something strikes me as odd about this situation. I believe you're right, Bakura; we'll just keep a close eye on her."

Bakura downed his glass of wine.

xXx

"You have no idea how glad I am that you're here," Téa greeted Odion.

Despite her warm words, Odion frowned as he entered the room. She was sitting on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, rather unfocused, and her hands were folded neatly in her lap.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently.

"I'm very, very glad that you're here," she repeated. The woman she'd seen in her… she shivered… the woman in her _blood_ had scared her more than anything had in a long time. Even worse, if possible, was the creepy feeling accompanying it. Like the woman was trying to tell her something important that she just wasn't getting.

"Listen, Téa," Odion said, placing the tray of food gently on her legs. She didn't seem to notice. "I've been talking with some friends. I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to get you out of here by the time two suns have passed."

Her eyes slowly shifted to him. "Everything in your power…" she repeated in a small voice. "And if you cannot?"

Odion looked at her a long time. "Téa, you know I would gladly lay down my life if it meant you could walk free," he said quietly.

A tear slid down her cheek: "You're such a friend…" she mumbled, but abruptly her mood changed. "But you _can't_ do that!" She leaned forward, nearly spilling the food on the tray, and Odion hastily reached forward to steady it. Her hand clamped on top of his. "Odion," she said, deliberately enunciating each word. "Odion, if it comes to that- if we're about to be found- you _have _to leave me."

"Téa-" he started to say, but she shook her head violently.

"You have to _promise_ me," she said agitatedly, "before I leave this room with you, you have to promise me that, if we're about to be captured, you'll leave me behind and get yourself out of this palace."

"Téa, I cannot-"

"Then I'm not coming with you," she said firmly.

"_Téa_."

"_Odion_."

They stared at each other in dead silence. Téa set her jaw, refusing to let another tear escape her eye.

Odion broke contact first. "If worst comes to worst, you wish for me to leave your side?" he asked slowly.

"I wish for you to save yourself," Téa emphasized. "Promise me that."

"I…"

"_Promise_ me that, Odion."

"I promise, Téa. But I also vow that it will not come to that."

She couldn't hold the tears back anymore. "God, I hope not," she choked out, fumbling with her robes. Odion quietly removed the tray from on top of her legs and placed it out of the way; he then handed her a handkerchief from the table next to her bed.

Téa eventually cried herself to sleep, burrowing deep under the sheets. And all through the night, long after Téa had fallen asleep, Odion stood by her bed. His arms were crossed and he glanced down at her solemnly; a silent, strong, and loyal guardian.


	14. Chapter 13

Sakakku

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_/Wassup?/_ = Ryou to Bakura

_Duuude…_ = Bakura to Ryou

Ignore my, er… 'creative' examples. I was having a 'poke fun at slang' day.

This is a Ryou-centric chapter! With other cameos. Hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 13

xXx

Ryou was reading a genealogy. Boring, stuffy, long, and going into far too much detail, but at least it was _there_. It was something to occupy the vast amounts of time he wasted daily. In fact, there were at least thirty other genealogies lined up in the small bookshelf in his quarters, for when he finished this one.

When the door creaked open, he didn't bother to look up. Malik's room was next to him on the right, and this noise was coming from the left, meaning it was probably just the Rare Hunters bringing him a meal. They were a few hours early for dinner, but he ignored that. Until, that is, he heard Bakura's snappish voice.

"Ryou!"

Shocked and scared, Ryou squeaked and spun around fast in the chair, nearly falling out. He cursed whatever weakness caused this to happen whenever Bakura walked in.

His yami was standing a few feet in the room, dressed in robes of silken black and looking impressive. There were two Rare Hunters standing in the room on either side of the door and Ryou was willing to bet there were more outside.

Standing in Bakura's shadow, at his right elbow, was a girl Ryou had never seen before. He didn't think she was a Rare Hunter; for one, she wasn't dressed in the normal garb. She wore olive-colored robes. The robes had a hood, but it was pushed back; her hair was half-done in braids and the rest was hanging loose. Simple laced sandals adorned her feet and the robe was tied around her waist with a length of rope. Her head was down and Ryou couldn't see her eyes.

"Stand up, hikari," Bakura commanded, and Ryou quickly rose to his feet. The white-haired man grinned, his sharp teeth showing. "This is Kaya. Say hello to her, Ryou."

"Hello, Kaya," Ryou said automatically, flushing with anger. Anger at himself, for letting Bakura _do_ this to him.

Bakura made a half-turn and gripped the girl's arm. "Say hello to Ryou," he said, his tone sharp.

Kaya looked up and Ryou got a glimpse of clouded brown eyes. "Hello, Ryou," the girl said coldly.

"Kaya will be… making some improvements to these quarters," Bakura said, grinning as if he found something funny. "Go on, girl." He gave her a shove in the back and she stumbled forward.

Ryou eyed her apprehensively as she hesitated. Bakura, whose patience was limited, waited about two seconds before snapping "_Go!_"

Lifting her head, Kaya crossed the room. With a sinking heart, Ryou realized she was headed towards the door that connected his room with Malik's. She placed a hand gingerly on the knob, then clenched harder.

When she started to mutter some foreign words, Ryou lost it. "_No!_" he shrieked, trying to lunge forward, but Bakura made a waving motion with his hand and the Rare Hunters leapt up to restrain him. "Don't," he pleaded, twisting to look at Bakura. "Malik's my friend! I need the company!"

Bakura laughed jovially, and Ryou felt cold chills crawl up his spine. "Don't be silly," Bakura said. "Be grateful I'm allowing you to live."

"I'd rather die than spend my life quartered off and alone, watching you ruin people's lives!" Ryou screeched before he realized what he was saying. A silence fell upon the room as Kaya finished her incantation. She stepped away from the door, carefully wiping her hands on her robe.

"Let's see how you've done," Bakura said, choosing to ignore Ryou's outburst. He crossed the room swiftly and put his hand on the doorknob. He rattled it once, twice. Furrowing his brow, he stepped back and the Millennium Ring began to glow. After a moment, he moved forward and tried the door again. It didn't budge.

"Well," he said, seeming slightly startled, "_Ryou_ won't be able to open it." Something seemed to flash in Kaya's eyes, but she merely lowered her head again.

Bakura paused for a few seconds, looking back and forth between the submissive Kaya and the defeated Ryou. "Kaya will be back tomorrow to take care of the windows," Bakura informed his hikari. "And her brother Geoff is working on Malik's side- what has gotten into you, girl?"

Kaya had made a funny choking noise, but she stopped immediately. "Nothing," she murmured.

"Excuse me?" Bakura smirked, waiting expectantly.

Kaya set her jaw. "Nothing, sir," she said firmly.

"That's better." Smug in his victory, Bakura swung around and stalked out the door.

When he was alone again, Ryou dragged himself over to the door Kaya had somehow magically sealed. "Malik?" he tried to call through it. No answer. He pressed his ear to the cold wood, but couldn't hear a thing. He stayed like that until the Rare Hunters brought him dinner, hoping against hope.

xXx

"Are you a magician?"

Kaya didn't answer him. She was standing with her back to him, both hands pressed against the window. She'd been that way for the last fifteen minutes, originally mumbling foreign words again but gradually fell silent. Ryou wondered why it was taking her so much longer to do this that the door. Deciding that he didn't have anything to lose, he voiced his question.

"_Because_," Kaya snapped, not turning her head, "I'm using the window as a base to weave magic through all the walls of this room. It's a lot more complicated than when I did your door."

"Oh." Ryou watched her back a while longer. Her hair was mostly brown, but she had an interesting mixture of gold, red, and grey highlights. She was probably about a year younger than he was, though; he wasn't sure where the grey had come from.

He restated his previous question: "Are you a magician?"

"Of sorts," Kaya said flatly. "My mother was a very skilled magician and healer. She was teaching my brother and me her trade before I came here. Everything I know, I learned from her, but my training was never finished." She didn't offer a further explanation, so Ryou hesitantly asked,

"Why is that?"

"My mother is dead."

It was said with such little emotion that Ryou didn't comprehend it at first. "_Oh!_" he said, eyes growing large. "I'm so sorry!"

Kaya snorted. "I don't doubt it," she said acidly, "seeing as it was your… your… your 'other half' that killed her."

_No…_

_/BAKURA!!!!/_

_Ryou, I believe I shall kill you the next time you do that to me_

_/Bakura, what happened to Kaya's mother?/_

_Wretched woman.__ Quite disagreeable_

_/Kaya said you _killed _her!/_

_She has no motive to lie_

_/You _murdered _her?/_

_Really, Ryou, how many times must we go over this?_

_/You _MURDERED _her?/_

_Stop this useless behavior.__ She got in my way and I disposed of her. Kaya and Geoff are quite nice substitutes; I had no further use for their mother_

Recklessly, Ryou pushed his way into Bakura's mind. Before his yami realized what was going on, he was in, and surfing through old memories.

He found Kaya quickly. Judging by her appearance, this was only a few weeks ago. Through Bakura's eyes, he watched as a group of Rare Hunters broke into a small, tidy-looking cottage on the edge of a village. Though he doubted his yami had actually been on the raid, Bakura had been able to see the entire incident through the combined powers of the Millennium Items; in particular the Eye. And now Ryou could see it through Bakura's mind.

Kaya was knocked unconscious by a Duel Monster the first Rare Hunter immediately Summoned from the Shadow Realm. Ryou vaguely recognized it; he thought it was Hitotsu-Me Giant. The other two inhabitants of the cottage were a boy Kaya's age- probably her brother Geoff, and a middle-aged woman. Geoff, a sturdy-looking boy with simple brown hair cut in a cap and a tan much darker than his sister's, froze at the intrusion of the Rare Hunters.

The woman, on the other hand, leapt up. Their mother had grey hair that curled down to her shoulders and a no-nonsense expression. She'd been holding a sprig of some type of plant in her hand, and now she lifted that up and began chanting loudly. The first wave of Rare Hunters stopped inexplicably, and started to clutch their bodies as if in pain.

But a flash of silver shot by the woman, and she toppled to the ground. Cyber Falcon swooped the room before landing on the ground next to the Rare Hunter that Summoned it. The same Rare Hunter strode forward and dealt a swift blow to Geoff's head; the boy fell unconscious as well.

Images flew by, and Ryou saw the family in the dungeons now. They were all in separate cells. Kaya and Geoff seemed to be overlooked for the time being; the Rare Hunters were focused on questioning the woman. She was defiant, though; if she wasn't refusing to talk to them it was because she was making threats.

Eventually, Ryou saw Marik, holding the Millennium Rod deliberately, approaching her cell. Knowing what would come, the woman solemnly raised her head, exposing the length of throat…

With a resounding slam and an infuriated roar, Bakura shoved Ryou from his mind and closed the mindlink. Dazed, sick to his stomach, and on the verge of tears, he stood silently for a while. Kaya seemed to be absorbed in whatever magic she was working.

They were alone in the room; no Rare Hunters had accompanied her this time. Doubtless they assumed that Kaya didn't need any assistance.

"Why did they kill her?" Ryou found himself whispering.

Kaya flinched, and answered harshly. "Because they knew she'd never agree to this!"

"To… to what?"

"To _this_." Kaya finally turned her head to look at him, and he saw how bitter her eyes were. "To working for Marik and Bakura! To helping imprison people! To _not fighting_."

Ryou gazed at the window, seeing black tendons creeping across it. "Why are _you_ agreeing to this?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Because…" Kaya's voice caught, and Ryou realized she was on the verge of tears. "Because they told me I'd never see my brother again if I didn't."

"Geoff?"

"That's right." She closed her eyes, seemingly determined not to cry, but the act caused a tear to slip down her cheek. But when she opened her eyes again, they were hardened. "I haven't seen him in three weeks. For all I know he could be dead too."

This proclamation startled Ryou. "I…" he began, but stopped. Shaking his head, he said, "Marik was the one to kill your mother."

When her eyes widened in shock, and her hands began to slip from the window, he hastily added, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just… I thought it might help." Her brow narrowed menacingly, and he continued, "I think it's supposed to be an honor. To be killed by him personally. He, uh… he used the Millennium Rod."

"They couldn't have killed her without it," Kaya declared, stepping away from the window. "She was too powerful to be killed without magic."

"I'm sorry," Ryou said again. She didn't pay attention to him and swept out the door, locking it manually behind her.

xXx

Kaya was back the next day. And the day after. And the day after.

She didn't seem interested in talking to him, but through prodding he discovered that he was part of her 'rounds'. Bakura and Marik had taken her and Geoff in the first place to put up new, magical seals on all the prisons. The dungeons first, which had taken time, and then the private rooms. Like his. And Malik's.

Her rounds involved simply sweeping a hand over the walls, paying particular attention to the window and to the door that had once connected his rooms with Malik's. It was brief, not nearly enough time for him to question her. He was burning to know _why_ Bakura and Marik had suddenly taken so many precautions in tightening security. Had someone escaped?

But Kaya was picky about which questions she answered. Most of the time, she ignored him.


	15. Chapter 14

Sakakku

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Chapter 14

xXx

Yami led the other three into a village. A slight tingling on his neck warned him to be cautious, but he put it aside. It was more important for Yugi and Serenity to drink; they'd run out of water a few hours ago.

Mai, for her part, seemed to be holding up well. She furrowed her brow as they entered the village, but said nothing. He wondered if she sensed what he did. He thought there might be powerful magic here, but he couldn't imagine what for.

"It's _cold_," Serenity said abruptly.

"I'm not chilly," Yugi said lightly, but Yami slowed down. In the absence of one of the senses- sight, for example; the others grew sharper.

"You're cold?" he inquired. Mai, who had been living with Serenity and knew to trust her, looked around cautiously.

"It's… it's nothing," Serenity said, blushing.

"Hmm…" Yami said, deciding not to press the matter. He put his hand on Yugi's shoulder protectively and the four of them walked slowly into the village.

They had approached from the north. From the east, a lone boy stumbled into sight of the village not fifteen minutes after they entered. He rubbed his face tiredly; he'd just made it away from a storm that had seemingly consumed one of his companions. He was lost and had no water. He had a little food but it wouldn't do him much good. The village was his only hope.

So Duke Devlin entered.

xXx

Tristan didn't like the looks of the village. He and Espa had been here a full day; he was unused to exercise. Although he'd been in good shape a year ago, and although Espa had recently been forced to walk a lot, the both of them were still just adjusting to the long trek across the desert. They'd come to this village in the dark last night and slept and rested in this deserted building the whole twenty-four hours. It was the next morning.

Espa had dozed off again, and Tristan decided to go outside. He doubted anyone would recognize him.

Emerging into the bright sunlight, he blinked a few times rapidly. The streets were nearly empty, except for a few Rare Hunters, who he supposed were the village guards.

It was only after he walked down two streets that he noticed there was a disproportionately high number of Rare Hunters. In fact… he gulped. He hadn't seen any civilians. And he was attracting a few strange looks.

Well, wasn't this beautiful. He and Espa had chosen to make camp in one of the Rare Hunter centers. One of the villages dedicated mainly to providing home for Rare Hunters off duty. If they made it out alive, it'd be a miracle.

xXx

"What _is_ it?" Serenity whispered. She couldn't see anything, and Yami and Yugi and Mai weren't talking, but she could sense that something was wrong. Yugi and Mai both clenched her hands tightly, and she was pretty sure that Yugi was shaking slightly. Mai was breathing evenly, but Serenity could tell that it was forced, in hopes that Mai would remain calm.

"This is a Rare Hunter village," Yugi explained to her, moving his head close to her ear so he could speak softly. "One of the places Marik and Bakura provided for all the Rare Hunters to live in."

Serenity swallowed in fear. "Oh no…" she whispered back, forcing her mouth to stop trembling in case any Rare Hunters noticed.

"If we leave now, they'll notice," Mai said as quietly as possible to Yami.

"We're already attracting attention," he agreed. "I suppose they must have occasional travelers passing by or we'd be arrested already."

"Mmm…" Mai murmured. In the silence that followed, Serenity heard a faint whisper. '_Magic around those_…'

"Did you hear that?" she gasped in fear.

"No," Yami said with trepidation. "Your hearing is stronger than ours. What did you hear?"

Serenity relayed her message. Yami listened in grim silence.

"The Rare Hunters are focused on magic," he said. "I don't doubt that they sense my Puzzle at a range this close."

"What do we do?" Yugi asked, squeezing Serenity's hand.

"Yugi, take Serenity down that street," Yami said. Serenity supposed he was pointing somewhere. "Hide in the first place you can."

"But what will that do?" Yugi asked again. "You won't be able to come back for us. I think we should just leave as quickly as possible."

"I'll think of something," Yami said tightly. "Perhaps Mai will be able to find you even if I cannot. Either way, we'll meet soon. I promise."

Yugi still hesitated. "You _promise_?" he asked finally.

"I promise," Yami said again. "Go quickly, Yugi."

The two of them broke away. Yami and Mai continued their path, seemingly unconcerned. Yugi guided Serenity down a side street, noticing immediately that they were attracting fewer glances.

"Serenity, we're going to go in there," Yugi said, turning her shoulders slightly.

"Okay," she responded, walking slowly in the direction. Yugi put a hand on her shoulder before she walked into the door, and he moved forward to slide open the door. It squeaked slightly but she doubted anyone else heard it.

"It's a warehouse," he narrated quietly. "No one's in here. This looks like it's a storage area. There's a lot of food in here. I don't think anyone will notice if I get some for you."

She nodded, and they moved forward. Yugi had her sit, she supposed behind a crate, and he pried open the lid of the crate.

"There's _fruit_ in here!" he said, delighted. "Serenity, there's fruit! Here, try this!" He thrust something soft into her hands, and she carefully took a bite of it.

"It's good!" she said, smiling. "It's really good! I haven't had much fruit lately." She took another bite. "I don't feel bad stealing from the Rare Hunters," she said, with a mixture of thoughtfulness and bitterness. "Besides, they seem to get a lot more fruit than most people do."

"They do," Yugi agreed, sounding depressed. "There's a different kind under these pink things, hold on-" He leaned over the edge of the crate. But over the sounds of his rummaging, Serenity heard another sound. The same sound made when Yugi had opened the door.

"Get down!" she tried to whisper, but it was too late. By the abrupt ceasing of sound, she was pretty sure Yugi and the person who had just opened the door had seen each other. She could only hope that Yugi hadn't pulled down his hood; though it probably wouldn't do him much good even if he hadn't.

"Duke?" Yugi asked in a hushed voice. "It _can't_ be you!"

"Who is that?" A frightened voice came. "I don't mean to get in the way…"

"Duke Devlin!" Yugi exclaimed, beginning to laugh in delight. "You don't recognize me?"

"It's _you_," Duke whispered. "Yugi??"

"Yes!" Yugi said in delight, hopping down and rushing over to Duke. "Oh Duke I can't believe it! How did you get here? Why are you here? Why did you decide to come in here?? This is _great_!"

"Yugi…" Duke said, suddenly close to tears. "Yugi, you have no idea how glad I am to see you…"

"About as glad as Serenity and I are to see you?" Yugi joked, hugging him quickly.

"Se-serenity?"

"Yeah!" Yugi said cheerfully, seizing Duke's hand and dragging him over. "Serenity, Duke's here!"

The redhead had already struggled to her feet. "Duke," she said warmly, smiling and holding out her arms. "This is so wonderful!"

"Oh, Serenity," Duke said in delight, hugging her tightly. "I can't believe it. This is amazing."

"It _is_," Yugi said again. "Why did you come here?"

Duke hesitated. "I was with… Kaiba," he said slowly.

"Kaiba?" Yugi repeated in high astonishment.

"Kaiba," Duke clarified. "We were looking for… Joey, I guess. Anyone."

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked again, unable to believe it.

"Yes," Duke said, grinning faintly. "But we got… separated. In a storm."

"Is he okay?" Yugi asked anxiously.

"I don't know," Duke said seriously. "I made it out alive and headed for this village. I wanted food or water. But I noticed something funny about it. And then there was a commotion in the streets so I figured I'd better hide, and I came in here."

"A commotion in the streets?" Yugi echoed anxiously. "Serenity, you don't think…" his voice trailed off. Serenity was pale. "Duke, do you know what happened?"

When the black-haired boy negatively shook his head, Yugi bit his lip. "Duke, please stay with Serenity?" he requested. "I've just _got_ to find Yami!"

"Find Yami?" Duke repeated, looking partly relieved and partly frightened.

"I'll be back!" was Yugi's only answer. Duke hesitated, sticking his head out the door. Yugi reached the end of the street and rounded the corner, jogging out of sight. Duke pulled the door shut, then turned back to Serenity. She was clutching a half-eaten piece of fruit in her hands, not moving her head.

"Sit down again," he urged with a nervous glance at the door. "Just… in case."

xXx

"Tristan?"

Tristan turned, automatically bringing his fist up, before he registered that Espa Roba had come up behind him. "Oh. Hi."

"Careful," he said, nervously eyeing Tristan's fist. "You okay?"

"Sort of," he said. "I am for now. But I think we'd better leave this village, and fast."

"I know," Espa agreed, laughing tentatively. "Not a great choice, eh?"

"No," Tristan said, taking some of the canteens from Espa. "We can leave now."

"Shortest way out?" Espa asked, looking around.

"Aaah…" Tristan shrugged. The two of them jogged partway down one street, but it looked to be a dead end. There were several deserted buildings. Tristan approached one of them and tugged at the handle; it readily opened.

"Why are you doing that?" Espa asked. He'd already started back down the street.

Tristan shrugged, then saw several Rare Hunters emerge from the side alley next to Espa. His blood froze, and he acted on instinct, diving into the building and behind the door.

He crouched behind it, heart pounding, and pressed his ear to the old wood, listening.

"Who are you?" an unfamiliar voice demanded.

"My name is Espa Roba," Espa responded, sounding remarkably calm. Keeping his head, he added, "I'm employed by Marik and Bakura."

Tristan nodded slowly; it was a smart move.

"You are, are you?" the voice asked suspiciously, but a new voice entered the conversation.

"I recognize the name," it said. "But what are you doing out here, Roba?"

"My brothers and I were separated in a storm," Espa deliberately lied. "I'm lost."

"Ah. Well, there's a caravan going toward the palace," the second voice continued. "You can join that and explain matters to Marik and Bakura. If you're lucky, they won't have time for you and send you on your way."

"If you're not lucky…" the first voice snickered ominously, but the second voice shushed it.

"Well, come on then," the Rare Hunter said. "Roba, I'll take you to the caravan."

"But-" Espa began to protest, but the second Rare Hunter cut him off. "This one is leaving right away. There's a second one, but it's not going to Akuma. Come on."

Tristan dared to peek through the crack; the Rare Hunter had taken Espa's arm and was guiding him away, presumably to the caravan. Espa had the sense not to stare at the building Tristan was in; he seemed to be taking things rather well. Tristan, on the other hand, crouched still, feeling helpless. He had just made up his mind to run after Espa and try to fight the Rare Hunters- there were only two of them; he could take them- when he became aware of heavy breathing. Coming from behind the crates stacked back there. More than one person.

Determinedly, Tristan walked forward. He tried to move softly, but his footsteps seemed to echo. He reached a crate and leaned over the edge.

Sitting on the other side was a girl and a boy. Red hair and black hair. Eyes covered by a bandage, startled green eyes. Serenity Wheeler and Duke Devlin.

Tristan forgot everything; his mind went blank. He didn't think about how glad he was to see Serenity, and he didn't stop to be annoyed that Duke had gotten to her first. He didn't feel bad that Serenity was still blind, and he forgot to be guilty upon seeing Duke. He supposed that what he'd done was no better than running away from home, really, in a rather twisted way.

All he felt was joy. Overwhelming, bubbling joy.

xXx

What luck he possessed, Yami reflected grimly. The Rare Hunters, although glaring suspiciously at him and Mai, had largely ignored them. That is, until one of them recognized the disguiseless Mai from that last duel on the docks.

Rather than fighting this time, they had opted to run. They had at least been recognized when they were nearly on the outskirts of the town, in a deserted area. Yami and Mai, outrunning the clumsy and pale Rare Hunter, had dived in the middle of a group of camels. From there, they'd hurriedly Summoned their two dragons- Curse of Dragon and Harpie's Pet Dragon. Yami also Summoned Celtic Guardian, and Mai chose Amazoness Paladin, to ride on the dragons. They directed their Monsters far away from them, in the hopes that the Rare Hunters would believe _they_ were riding the dragons. So far, it seemed to be working.

The camels began to move. Yami and Mai, shivering with anxiety, followed in the middle. The Rare Hunters accompanying the camels were largely on the outer rim, so they seemed safe. The only problem was, there was no way to break away from the caravan.

Eventually, Yami began leafing through his deck. At this point, they were long out of the village and the sun was beginning to set. Silently, he showed a card to Mai. Her eyes widened, and she nodded.

A mile away from the caravan, a box appeared. It slowly opened on one panel, a third at a time, and a shaken Yami and Mai stepped out.

"Mystic Box," Yami nodded in satisfaction.

"Wow," was all Mai could manage. To hopefully stop the funny spinning sensation in her head, she looked to the sky, and froze.

Three dark shapes were circling overhead. All of a sudden, one of them came spiraling down, and the other two followed. Yami glanced upward nervously, debating whether to fight, but that would be a giveaway for sure. He settled for taking out his deck cautiously.

When the first shape got closer, Yami suddenly recognized it. "That's Yugi!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Mai asked nervously.

"See that?" he pointed at the largest shape. "That's the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Joey's card, yes. He put it in Yugi's care. That must be him."

"Oh." Mai watched Yugi and the Red Eyes swoop closer, until the dragon landed heavily in the sand. With a giggle, Yugi fell off its back, and Yami rushed forward quickly and managed to catch him.

"Thanks, Yami!" he said brightly, rubbing his legs. "Wow, that hurt."

The Red Eyes Black Dragon reared back and stared at Yami impressively. Yami, feeling awkward, inclined his head.

The other two shapes landed nearby; it was Curse of Dragon and Celtic Guardian, and Harpie's Pet Dragon and Amazoness Paladin.

"They're okay?" Mai asked in delight, looking her monsters over carefully.

"Yup," Yugi said cheerfully. "I think they caught the Rare Hunters back in the village off guard. They attacked a couple of people then flew away before they got caught. The Rare Hunters didn't chase them. I think they still thought you guys were back there. I got away from the village and Curse of Dragon carried me partway across the desert, then I got Joey's Red Eyes out and started looking for you two. I don't know how I didn't spot you earlier."

Yami brushed over the half-question; there was a more important issue: "Where's Serenity?"

Yugi bit his lip. "I left her with Duke," he admitted. At Mai's exclamations, he nodded. "He showed up out of nowhere. He told me he heard a 'commotion' and I figured that was you. So I left the two of them and hurried to find you." He looked upset. "I just realized that we can't go back there!"

"What are we going to do?" Mai breathed, automatically turning to Yami.

He thought a minute. "I'll send this card to investigate," he said, reaching into his deck. He pulled out Soul Release.

"Wow, good idea," Yugi said, staring at the beautiful card. "I bet Soul Release can be invisible a lot of the time."

"Yes," Yami agreed.

"What- what does it do?" Mai asked uncertainly.

"In the game, Soul Release is a magic card," Yami explained. He was surprised she hadn't heard of it.

"I know," she responded, answering his unspoken thoughts. "It removes up to five Monster cards in the Graveyard from play. But what would it do _here_?"

"I'm not sure," Yami admitted. "But see- if you look at her physical form-" he showed Mai the picture on the card- "Soul Release looks like she can become invisible and move on the wind. I think she could slip unnoticed into the village."

"The Hunters wouldn't sense the magic?" Mai asked skeptically.

"Perhaps," Yami conceded. "Perhaps. But I think that's a risk we have to take."

"We have to take an awful lot of risks," Mai grumbled, but without sounding angry. Nodding, Yami concentrated and began the process of Summoning Soul Release from the Shadow Realm.


	16. Chapter 15

Sakakku

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Notes: In most parts, when someone has to give an alias, I'll just use their Japanese names. This works for everyone who has to lie, I think. Pluuus, it amused me.

Happy reading!

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Chapter 15

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"I wish Joey were here," Mokuba said, for no particular reason. Other than the fact that, if Joey were here, he would at least know the blonde boy who annoyed his brother so very much was still alive.

"I'm sure the gods have been watching over him," Ishizu mused. "Oh, Shadi, just stay _still_."

"Sorry," Shadi said, shaking his head to compose himself again. She was carefully removing the turban on his head, which he only attempted to do every few months. It felt strange.

"Ishizu, who is going to do your hair?" Kimo asked, glancing doubtfully at his own hands. "I don't know if any of us here know how to fix hair."

She paused a minute. "I suppose I could work it up myself," she said slowly.

"Actually, I can do some simple braids," Pegasus interrupted. "I helped Cecelia on several occasions." As he said that, the five companions felt a strange, light breeze pass over them; Cecelia was laughing in fond memory.

The five of them were sitting around the rock leading into Shadi's home. Ishizu was taking Shadi's turban off, after which she would trim his hair. Someone, at this point probably Pegasus, would fix her hair up and off her shoulders, to disguise _her_. Pegasus had already tied his hair back; that combined with his suntan from the desert walking made him barely recognizable from the man who had dueled Yugi all those months ago.

"This is _weird_," Mokuba commented, perched at the very top of the rock. "We look like a bunch of _girls_ having a _slumber party_." The four adults looked up and gave him indulgent grins.

"You know that the disguises are important," Kimo reminded him, holding up a pair of rather rusty scissors. "Speaking of which, Mokuba, that hair of yours is rather noticeable. I'm going to have to give you a trim."

Mokuba squeaked and clutched the ends of his long black hair. "No way!" he said defiantly.

"Mokuba," Kimo sighed. "You don't want to be recognized, do you?"

"You are _not_ coming near my hair with those," the boy responded firmly. "That is, not until you get permission from my big brother."

"Mokuba!" Kimo said a second time. "You know we don't have any idea where Seto is. I need to cut your hair- so you have a chance of staying alive long enough to find him," he finished, eyes glittering.

Mokuba sucked in a breath and his eyes grew huge. "Kimo," Pegasus chided, turning to look at the small boy. "You shouldn't have said that."

Kimo bowed his head: "Sorry, sir," he mumbled.

"Mokuba, let me see your hair while Ishizu is busy with Shadi," Pegasus said, approaching the boy.

"No cutting?" he asked suspiciously. Pegasus smiled.

"No cutting," he promised. He took a handful of Mokuba's hair and tried piling it on top of his head. He pulled and twisted quite a bit, and Mokuba got dizzy with all the head-yanking.

"We have two options," Pegasus announced. "I don't think you're going to like either of them much though."

"What are they?" Mokuba asked suspiciously.

"We could cut your hair- only a few inches," he said hastily. "And, well, try to pass you off as a girl."

Mokuba's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, suddenly recalling a lovely run-in with 'Princess Edina'. "And the other option?" he asked immediately.

Pegasus shrugged. "If you're so adamant at not cutting your hair, perhaps one of us with moderate talent could sew you a hood?" he suggested. "We could pull your hair back under the hood and hopefully no one could be able to see you. It's riskier, though."

Mokuba scowled. "How _much_ riskier?" he asked.

"I think he'll be okay," Kimo spoke up. "Besides, people; Rare Hunters included; tend to overlook the children."

"All right," Ishizu said, removing the last length of cloth on Shadi's head. His hair was deep, deep black and looked almost waxy; a byproduct of not being exposed to the sun. "Kimo, if you wouldn't mind cutting his hair, I'll go search inside for some cloth," she said. "I'll bring Bob in for some water. He's spoiled now, I don't know _what_ he's going to do when we're gone." She leaned over the rock, expecting to see 'her' lizard lounging there, but couldn't find him. Her eyes narrowed, and she moved all the way around.

"Bob is gone!" she cried, sounding exactly as she had when she'd discovered that Joey was missing a few days ago. "Where did he go?"

"Bob is gone?" Mokuba asked doubtfully. "Are you sure he's not just under the rock?"

"He's not," she insisted. "He's gone!"

"Ishizu," Shadi said, trying to pacify her. "He-" he stopped talking, realizing that he had nothing to say that _would _pacify her. "Perhaps he left," he offered lamely.

"Left?" Ishizu snorted. "Left and went _where_? Crossed the desert looking for Yami?"

Their group abruptly fell silent. Mokuba, the only one who didn't get it, whipped his head back and forth. "What? What is it?"

"Perhaps he _did_ cross the desert, looking for Yami," Pegasus mused aloud. "As a hitchhiker…"

Ishizu didn't say anything. Brows narrowed, troubled; hand unconsciously reaching up to touch her Necklace; she disappeared inside the dark tunnel.

xXx

"Let's go in this house," Ishizu said suddenly.

"Hm?" Shadi asked, glancing at her. She was pointing to a low, grey home.

It had only taken them a few hours to reach a town; they were barely tired. They'd debated not stopping, just continuing through the desert, but Ishizu had a 'funny feeling' that they should go in. Just like she'd had that 'funny feeling' which direction they should set out, despite having no clear destination in mind. And now she had a 'funny feeling' that they should go into a certain house. Well, okay.

He trailed behind her to the front door; Pegasus, Kimo, and Mokuba, all disguised, continued on to the village well for a drink of water.

Ishizu knocked on the door, mind racing to prepare a cover story even as she heard footsteps approaching. "Hello," she said calmly as the inhabitant, an elderly man, swung open the door. "My name is Isis. My companion and I are traveling to visit my younger brother in the city Akuma; if you can spare a second, do you know how the conditions are?"

"I believe it's fine traveling weather," the man said in a wheezy voice. "Akuma is… well, it's the same as ever. It's Bakura and Marik's home city; you can make up your own mind what that means. I don't want no trouble."

Ishizu nodded. It was true that she didn't know how many people would deliberately travel to Akuma, the most dismal place in the world; although it was also true that it was the richest. The people who lived there tended to be traitorous deserters, ready to abandon the old ideals of the world in favor of more desirable living conditions while the rest of the people in the world suffered.

"You know how to get there?" he asked.

"Yes," she responded; she'd studied many maps while in Shadi's home. "Thank you for your help." As she inclined her head and began to retreat, something caught her eye. "Oh- wait! I'm sorry- can I come in?"

It was difficult to say who was more surprised, the old man or Shadi, but the man moved aside and let her hurry into the room. Shadi trailed, raising his slender eyebrows. "Ish- Isis?" he asked, catching himself.

"Oh, that," the elderly man said, seeing what Ishizu was examining. "It's a painting; the girl down the street made that and gave it to me just yesterday. She and her friend are quite the artistic types."

"Look!" Ishizu exclaimed to Shadi, moving aside so he could see the painting: A grey lizard in a potted fern.

"Ah- yes, Ishi- Isis," Shadi said cautiously.

"It's Bob," she told him in elation.

"Oh dear," Shadi murmured. "Ishiz- _Isis_, Bob isn't the only grey lizard around, you know."

"I know," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "But that- is- Bob!" With each word, she jabbed the painting to convey her emotion.

The elderly man was looking at her in mild confusion. "Young lady," he began, but Ishizu interrupted him.

"Who painted this?" she asked, whirling around.

"My neighbor," the man repeated, "A young girl named Nikkō."

"Okay," Ishizu repeated, trying to commit the name to memory. "Nikkō. Where does Nikkō live?"

"With a young man named Peter and his sister Sara," the man said, "three houses down the street. Same side."

"Thank you," she said, making her way to the door. Shadi paused just long enough to repeat his thanks to the elderly man, then dashed after her.

"Ishizu," he said, trying to force her to see, "The odds that that painted lizard is Bob are-"

"I _know_ what the odds are," she insisted, counting off the houses. She turned right up a path. "That doesn't change the fact that that is Bob." She knocked on the door, ignoring Shadi's spluttered protests.

A girl with clouded blue eyes and a paintbrush stuck behind her ear answered. "Yes?" she asked, smiling politely and dusting her hands. They were covered in dried clay.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you," Ishizu said, and Shadi breathed in relief that she hadn't just stormed into the house. "Were you in the middle of something?" She motioned to the girl's hands.

"Oh, that's okay," the girl responded, smiling brightly. "I just finished for the day."

"Sculpture?" Ishizu asked innocently.

"Yes," the blonde said, bobbing her head. "I finished the basic outline of my newest project, a lizard."

"Oh?" Ishizu asked, raising her eyebrows. "That sounds fascinating. Are you doing it freehand, or did you have a basis?"

"Well, I had the mental image," the girl explained. "A lizard named Bob that a friend brought to our house. Bob left but I have a pretty good memory for images like that…"

"I see." Ishizu deliberately avoided looking at Shadi, who had suddenly widened his eyes. "How long ago did Joey leave?"

She got no answer for a long time. The girl folded her arms and squinted at Ishizu. "Who are you?" she asked after a while.

"I am Ishizu," she explained under her breath. "This is my companion Shadi. And this is a conversation best kept secret."

"I understand." The girl still hesitated to let them in, but soon stepped aside and let them into front room. What Ishizu supposed was the resident's handicraft was scattered around; sculptures and statues and paintings and several abstract works that she couldn't identify but found interesting to squint at. "Are you _really_ Ishizu and Shadi?" the girl asked in a rush. "Joey told me about you-"

"Yes," Shadi clarified, still looking at Ishizu oddly.

"You're Nikkō?" Ishizu asked, although she was already sure.

"Yes," Nikkō responded.

"Joey Wheeler passed through this way?" Ishizu pressed. "How long ago?"

Nikkō shrugged. "Not five days," she confessed.

"Did he say where he was going?"

Nikkō hesitated. "He did… have a destination in mind," she said reluctantly. "Can I trust you?" She studied Shadi's and Ishizu's faces a long time, then took a deep breath. "He said he was going to Akuma," she let out.

"Akuma?" Ishizu raised her brow slightly. "Did he mention why he chose to go there?"

"Well… It was at my suggestion," Nikkō admitted.

Ishizu nodded. Since she didn't offer anything else to say, Shadi picked up the conversation. "Ishizu and I and our companions were debating whether to go to Akuma," he said, nodding. "Perhaps this makes up our decision for us."

"Hmm…" Ishizu said distantly. "Not quite." She abruptly spun around: "I thank you for your help, Nikkō." The girl nodded. "Shadi, we should hurry. Lingering anywhere is not wise."

Shadi bowed his head to Nikkō and followed Ishizu to the door. Nikkō waved at them as they hurried away. Two blondes, a boy and what appeared to be his younger sister, were walking up to the house and looked curiously at them. Nikkō lifted a hand in farewell, and Ishizu and Shadi moved quickly down the street.

"What did you find out?" Pegasus asked as they approached the well.

"Much," Ishizu stated bluntly, not stopping. "Come on."

Pegasus looked in bewilderment after her, then shrugged at Shadi. Kimo put the cap on the last canteen he'd been refilling and touched Mokuba on the shoulder. The five of them moved swiftly out of the village and back into the open desert.

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**Notes**: In case you can't tell, I adore random coincidences. Look for that as a big theme here. ;-)


	17. Chapter 16

Sakakku

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Chapter 16

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Seto was vaguely aware that something felt odd about his hand, but he didn't have the energy to figure out what it was.

The sand was awfully soft… or was it sand? Was he still in the desert? He couldn't remember. If he was in the desert… there was a storm, wasn't there?

The thing on his hand… it felt warm. And rough.

Was he dead? He found he didn't mind the idea. If this was death, it was a lot more comforting than struggling through that storm had been.

His hand was being tugged on. No; not tugged on… something was putting pressure on it. Just a little.

Had he been with anyone? He tried to remember, but he didn't try hard. There had been a… a Monster? Three of them. A flute. A loud noise. Then a companion- a voice on the wind… a figure disappearing into the distance… a boy his own age, not entirely happy with him…

Duke.

His eyes snapped open. A jackal was licking his hand.

He stared at it a moment, uncomprehending. Was he still in the desert? Had this jackal mistaken his lifeless body for food? Were the buzzards circling overhead, ready to tear at his-

The jackal cocked her head at him, plainly saying 'That's disgusting'.

"If you're not eating me, what _are_ you doing?" he mumbled, trying to sit up.

"Anuba?" A girl entered the room, looking about his own age. Maybe a few years younger. Something about her golden eyes looked familiar… he blinked and hefted his weight.

"No, no, no!" the girl said hastily, hurrying over. "You need to lie down. It's not good for you to sit up right away."

The eyes. He'd seen them for a moment in the desert. This girl had saved him…

He scowled. This girl had _saved_ him. He sat upright and immediately the room began to swirl.

"Really," the girl pleaded. "Please lie down."

"I'm fine," he said, trying to glare at her.

Although he couldn't see it, the girl's lips twitched. "You're talking to the wall," she said mischievously. "I'm over here. To your left." Seto set his jaw; the other sighed. "You obviously can't see right," she said sensibly. "You must be sick. Just lie down, maybe only for another hour or two-"

"I can see fine," Seto said irritably, turning his head. He could make out a blurry outline now. "And I'm not sick."

"If you don't lie down, I'll force you to," the girl threatened.

"Oh?" he tried to raise his eyebrows but it caused his head to hurt too much.

"There's a man in this village who deals in herbology," she told him. "He keeps a couple of powerful dried plants. One sniff of it and you'll be out for a week."

"Excuse me?"

"It's for your own good," she said. "Come on…"

"It's-" Seto began, but fell silent. He was having difficulties seeing and his vision was worsening again. He felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder. At first he thought it was the golden-eyed girl, but he heard her giggle. She hadn't moved.

"That's right, Anuba," she coaxed. "There you go. Listen, just lie down. Anuba has her paw on your shoulder. Trust me, she can get rough when you don't go along with her. Just lie down. You can get up soon."

Seto fought desperately to retain his pride. He fought as the jackal pushed him into a lying position, he fought as his eyelids slowly closed, and he fought as he drifted off to sleep.

xXx

He awoke feeling much better. His limbs were a little sore, he had a slight headache, and his throat was as dry as the desert, but he felt good enough to yell at the girl who had confined him to… where was he, exactly?

Seto glanced around the room. He was lying on a cot in the corner of a largish room. It was well-furnished; he supposed people like Yugi or Yami- people who actually cared- would have felt at home there. The jackal dozed in the corner and the only doorway was across the room. He stood up, testing his feet; they were fine. He was debating whether he should go through the doorway when the girl appeared again, brushing her shoulder-length ginger hair over her shoulder.

"You're feeling better?" she asked, eyeing him critically.

Seto crossed his arms indignantly. "I feel _fine_," he said.

"Hmm…" she said, eyes glinting. "That's great, then. I guess that twenty-hour nap did you some good."

He stared at her blankly. "Twenty-hour nap?"

"As far as I can tell," she said, suppressing a giggle. "You were thrashing around quite a bit. Having nightmares?"

"I was _not_," he said coldly, but a blush rose to his cheeks. He was annoyed; _had_ he been having nightmares? He wanted to know if he'd been saying anything in his sleep but there was no way he was about to ask.

Luckily, the girl supplied the answer for him: "You were calling 'Yami, Yami'. Friend of yours?"

"Absolutely not!" Seto snarled. Across the room, the jackal lifted her head, glanced him up and down, and lay back down.

"All right, then," the girl said, lifting her eyebrows and continuing to grin at him. "Well, if you're okay, shall we introduce ourselves?"

Seto snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "If you insist."

She waited a moment for him to say anything; he didn't. "Okay, _Seto Kaiba_," she said teasingly. "My name is Ezra. My jackal, who I believe you owe a big thank-you, is Anuba."

He wasn't about to give her to satisfaction of asking how she knew who he was. She seemed to sense it, too, for she carried on: "I recognized you from the 'old world'. Before I moved out here, I lived close to Domino, as a matter of fact. Also…" She gestured at the trenchcoat he wore. "You still have the KaibaCorp logo on your clothes. Aren't you afraid someone would recognize that?"

"I didn't intend anyone to be close enough to me to find out," he answered stiffly.

Ezra shrugged. "I guess nothing really goes according to plan," she said vaguely, studying him. "You're sure you feel okay? You look a little pale."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't feel like repeating myself."

She rolled her eyes back at him, seemingly unintimidated. "Why are you being so churlish?"

Seto folded his arms across his chest, deciding once again to say nothing.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, you know," she told him gently.

"What?" he demanded. "What are you _talking_ about?"

She bit her lip, a hint of a smile appearing. "You seem a bit embarrassed that Anuba and I saved you. If it makes you feel any better, it was Anuba that found you during the storm. She helped me drag you back."

Seto's back tightened. _Drag_? He had the strongest urge to strangle someone.

Maybe he was just a _little_ embarrassed.

xXx

Ezra traced lines absently on the kitchen table. Across from her sat the surly Seto Kaiba, studying the map she'd provided him with. He was a strange one, Seto was. Wouldn't most people be grateful to be saved from certain death? He shouldn't have been out in the storm anyway.

And that was another thing- why _had_ he been out there? She'd wondered that at first, but then he started talking in his sleep. She hadn't been lying when she told him he'd been calling 'Yami, Yami.' She just hadn't told him everything.

"Do you need more water?" she asked, her eyes focusing in on his empty cup.

"I don't _need_ anything," came the curt reply. His hoarse voice betrayed him.

"Well, do you _want_ more water?" she asked innocently, already knowing she wouldn't get an answer. Her prediction was right, and she rose to get him the pitcher. Instead of pouring it for him, she placed it close by his elbow; two could play at this game.

He studied the map a few more minutes, and she carefully pretended not to look. It was like taming a wild animal; like how she'd tamed Anuba. Eventually, Seto reached out with utmost casualness and poured himself a glass of water; he took what seemed to be a dainty sip but when he put the cup back down Ezra saw that it was half-empty.

"Are you deciding the best way to get to Akuma?" she ventured, unable to stand his silence, but realized what a mistake it was. Seto's blue eyes slowly lifted to meet her own golden ones, and she winced.

"What makes you ask that?" he demanded.

Why was he so _rude_? She bit her lip in annoyance, telling herself that he was just tired. He must have been traveling a long way. Then there was that desert storm. And she was pretty sure Seto was feeling really humiliated, especially after she mentioned that she and Anuba had had to drag him back. He must also feel really frustrated, if what he was saying in his sleep was at all true. And he probably felt lost and lonely…

All of a sudden, she felt a lot more tolerant towards him.

"You were… talking while you dreamed," she said carefully. "I thought you said something about going to Akuma?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, scrutinizing her closely. She refused to back down, even though his stare was intimidating. "What else did I say?"

His voice echoed in her head. _'Yami!__ Yami! Watch out!… they're coming for you! Bakura and Marik are mustering their powers …Obelisk is MINE and you had no right to take it from me! I challenge you to a duel! …I have to go to Akuma. That's where everyone is headed. That's where the final battle will take place. …Stay away from Mokuba! You will NEVER hurt my little brother!'_

"Not much else," she lied, cutting her eyes away from his face. "You just seemed really upset. You screamed a lot."

She expected him to shut up again, to close himself off to her. Instead, he glanced around the room, as if nervous, then leaned forward with a sigh. Ezra debated asking him if he was okay, but it looked like he was about to talk.

"I had a lot of strange dreams," he confided, seemingly forgetting about her. "There was one woman in particular. No one I knew. I don't think I'll ever know her… I don't know if she's human anymore." His eyes were closed, so he didn't see Ezra's eyebrows shoot up at that. "She was the one telling me I had to go to Akuma. Then I kept seeing replays of my duel with Bakura shooting through my head… he was one of the only people to beat me. And the last I saw of Mokuba. I kept imagining where he is now, what he's doing, what he's thinking. He should be at home still, safe and sound. Then… I don't know. A lot of pain. Something hurt me." All of a sudden, he opened his eyes, and Ezra saw something frightening in them. "Whatever dares to hurt me- I'll deal with!"

She felt Anuba nuzzling her hand. Gratefully, she patted the jackal on the head. "I- I'm sure you will," she said cautiously, not liking the violence in his face. She wondered if he was thinking of his little brother. At one point during the night, Seto had screamed _'Look at what you've done to him! Look at what you've done to Mokuba!'_

"I think I'll leave here now," Seto declared, rising. It was so unexpected that it took Ezra a minute to register what he was saying.

"Wh- now?" she asked, scrambling to her feet. "Why are you leaving?"

"Why should I stay?" he countered, heading for the door.

"It's silly to leave without thinking it through!" Ezra said angrily, reaching the door before he did and putting her hand in front of his. "You don't have food or water or a disguise!"

As if realizing it for the first time, Seto put a hand to his head. "I seem to have lost my cowl," he mused.

"It fell off when Anuba and I were bringing you back," she told him, moving fully in front of his way to the door. She looked up at him determinedly; he was _tall_!

He studied her for a moment, then folded his arms. "Let me by."

"I'm not going to let you go out there to die," Ezra said, folding her arms as well. "You're being too impulsive."

Whatever Seto was going to say next was cut off. Anuba, padding up behind him, nudged Seto in the side. He was completely caught off guard and stumbled a little before whirring around and fixing the poor jackal with a menacing glare. "Don't do that!" he snapped.

"_Seto_. You can't yell at a jackal," Ezra countered; he fixed his glare back on her. "It's not like Anuba knows that she's annoying you!"

"She will if I yell at her," Seto grumbled, but he didn't seem angry anymore. Just tired.

"Listen," Ezra started, but Anuba nudged Seto's leg again. His cerulean eyes flared a little, but other than that, he didn't react. Anuba put her nose on Seto again. After a minute of no one moving, Anuba seemed to grow impatient and took up part of Seto's trenchcoat in her mouth, tugging gently in no particular direction.

"Hey…" Ezra said slowly; Seto glanced at her. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, as if she were remembering something. "That's what Anuba did to me when I first found her."

"What?" Seto asked grudgingly, shifting his eyes toward the solemn-looking jackal, still with a mouthful of his clothes.

"Well, I found Anuba when she was a baby. Her mom was dead; I couldn't tell what killed her. Disease, probably. I didn't want Anuba to die too, so I took her home and nursed her until she was strong enough to go live on her own. But when I went to let her go- we were in the desert- she grabbed my robe and wouldn't let go. We've- well, we've been together ever since." Her golden eyes lifted to meet his, there was a hint of question in them.

Seto fought back the surprising smile rising to his lips. He wouldn't allow Ezra to be put in danger. "I'm going to Akuma, and I'm going alone," he announced firmly, trying to dislodge his clothes from Anuba's grip.

Ezra snorted. "Fat chance of that now," she said, breezing by him. She didn't have to worry that he'd leave anymore; Anuba wouldn't let him. "Anuba is sticking by you no matter what; and where she goes, I go. Just give me a minute to gather supplies-" she spun around in her tracks and fixed him with a sweet smile. "And we'll be on our way." Then, with a small giggle, she left the room, presumably to gather water and food.

Seto glared down at Anuba; unfortunately, the jackal saw right through him.

_A friend_. The word, which had always seemed despicable to him, kept ringing through his head. He was okay on his own. He didn't need anyone; that included a friend.

But since Ezra seemed set on coming with him; well, who was he to stop her?

xXx

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**Notes**: Finally. You get to see what you already knew- that sleeping in a sandstorm is only a minor setback for the great Seto Kaiba.


	18. Chapter 17

Sakakku

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Chapter 17

xXx

"Look what I finished," Téa showed Odion the second he entered the room. Her cheery expression was such a change from the night before that he stopped and studied her, to make sure she was okay.

"What is it?" he asked finally, moving forward. She looked up at him and noticed his tray of food. "Hey, thanks!" She hopped off the bed and took the tray from him, placing it carelessly on a side table and snatching up the bread. "I never ate last night," she said through a mouthful of food. "I'm _starving_."

Odion picked the smooth blue fabric up from where she had dropped it. "A cloak?" he asked, turning it over in his hands. "Where did you get this?"

"I made it," she said, after carefully swallowing. "Mel gave me some cloth; she said I should learn to sew."

"Ah," Odion said, frowning slightly. "Yes, Marik and Bakura were discussing providing trade for their subjects. I suppose prisoners weren't exempt."

"Why did they decide now?" Téa asked in partial confusion, partial interest, tearing off another piece of bread.

The troubled frown grew on Odion's face. "Master Marik and Master Bakura… they had high ambitions. However, once they realized their dream of ruling the world, they had little idea how to go about it. Neither of them has much experience politically. The world is falling apart, Téa. No one does any work. They have finally realized this; they believe they can reverse the problem by ordering people to do various jobs."

He was surprised, to say the least, when she snorted with laughter. He blinked at her, unsure of what to do now.

"Sorry," she said around a mouthful of bread, and stopped to swallow it. When her mouth was clear, she took a sip of water, and promptly spit it back out giggling again. "Bakura and Marik take over the world. But they don't know what to do with it! What's the point in world domination? Why did they even _want_ it?"

"I-" Odion stopped abruptly. He decided not to say anything about what he'd noticed about their strange behavior. It was only a hunch. An instinctive feeling. He couldn't prove anything about the odd aura around the God Cards…

Téa's giggles died away and she shook her head in all seriousness. "It served me well, I guess. What do I do now?"

"Tonight," Odion said in a low voice, feeling a chill run up his spine. He felt like he was being watched, but dismissed it as paranoia. "I'll come into your rooms with a friend- you won't see him for very long, and it's best if we keep conversation to a minimum. Then you and I will leave this room. We'll be forced to take the main hallway, but as soon as possible will slip into a smaller corridor. Those are less likely to be guarded. If we can make it to the lower level, we'll leave through one of the side doors. I know which ones have Rare Hunters standing outside; I'll guide us to a deserted one. There are Hunters patrolling the grounds at night, however, so it might take us a few minutes to judge when the area is clear enough to go.

"Come here," he said, taking her elbow and guiding her to the window. "Look outside."

Téa did as she was told; she had a fairly boring view. Plain white wall, and if she craned her head very far to the right, she could see the main gate.

"That's the only real way in or out of the palace yard," Odion told her. "It's consistently guarded. This will be the hardest part. I'll Summon a Monster, hopefully catching the Hunters in there off guard. They tend to be lazy, especially in the middle of the night."

"And then, what, we run for our lives?" Téa asked, voice slightly hysterical.

Odion was silent. It didn't matter; they both knew the answer was yes. Odion finally began to say something, but abruptly whirled around. Téa was confused for a second, but then heard the tell-tale sign of the latch opening. In a moment of horror, she pictured how close they were standing; how Odion's hand was still on her arm. What would whoever was behind the door think?

Graceful as a jungle-cat, Odion slid a few meters away. He had sidled up to the tray on the table and picked it up. Téa had eaten enough to make it seem plausible that he was simply carrying the food away again.

The door swung open to reveal a short, stocky, brown-haired boy standing slightly behind Marik. Téa's stomach plummeted; she hadn't seen her captor in at least four months; the last glimpse of Marik had been when he was circling the grounds. She'd looked out her window and the two of them had made eye contact for a split second before Téa broke away, stumbling with a gasp from the window. There was something horrible and dead about his eyes.

"Master Marik," Odion said smoothly, managing to sound pleased.

"Odion," Marik acknowledged. "You can put that back down, Odion; I'd like you to stay a while longer. You might find this interesting."

Odion merely nodded, replaced the food, and stood in a straightened, at-attention position, facing Marik with polite respect.

"Téa, dear," Marik sneered, walking up to her deliberately. He put a hand on her shoulder; it seemed to sear her flesh through the cloth. She held her jaw rigid, refusing to pull away.

"This is Geoff," Marik said with a slight flourish in the boy's direction. Geoff gave her a slight nod, focusing his eyes on her. Briefly, they twitched to Odion, but Geoff quickly wrenched them away.

"Geoff is," Marik said lazily, "What you might call a… _precaution_ on our parts. He's here to seal up your room, little girl. It's his job to make sure you never get out." He smiled unpleasantly, and Téa felt a sinking feeling. She forced herself to not glance at Odion. How would his plan ever work now?

Geoff silently circled the room, trailing his fingertips around the wall, mouthing words. He glanced at Téa and Marik occasionally, when he hit an apparent break, but never at Odion. Téa's heightened senses told her that something was off. A furtive glance at Marik assured her that he didn't notice anything, but he caught her staring and apparently misinterpreted it. He leered; she shuddered and glanced away. He seemed satisfied by her reaction.

Odion had spoken of a 'friend'. Had this been it? Had Geoff been the 'friend' who was supposed to help her escape later that night?

She couldn't let Marik sense her thoughts. She focused all her energy on appearing to be desperately afraid or worried, and felt Marik's glee at her distress.

xXx

"I shouldn't have left her."

"You didn't have a choice," Yugi replied calmly. Mai was glad _one_ of them could be calm, anyway. She was about ready to smack the Pharaoh.

"We all made the decision," she said testily. "Serenity was safe with Duke and Tristan, but Soul Release informed us that they weren't planning to leave the village for another few days. We couldn't hang around the desert that long. Think of it this way: You saved Yugi and I, as well as yourself. Now will you please stop complaining and focus on finding our way to Akuma?"

Yami was silent, but the thing with him was that he radiated depression. She gritted her teeth.

"Joey would have gone back for his sister," Yami murmured.

"Well, Joey is-" Yugi began, but Mai interrupted him.

"Joey is an idiot. Of _course_ he would have gone back. He's impulsive and silly and he'd get himself killed to look brave. You don't want that, Yami. You have to be the responsible one. I'm sure Serenity will be fine. Duke and Tristan are both in love with her anyway. They'll also get themselves killed to protect her. With all those morons around, Serenity will survive. The smartest one always does."

"Um, Mai," Yugi started to say in a low voice, but she brushed him off.

"Save it, Yugi, I know," she said wearily, veering off to the side. She walked a few yards away from the boys, trying to cool herself off. She heard Yugi talking in a soft voice to Yami, clearly reassuring him. Probably much better than _her_ pathetic attempt anyway.

She moodily reached down and tugged at her sandals. For purposes of traveling miles upon miles in the sand, she'd adopted flat-footed sandals that were fastened on by bits of twine. She didn't mind the style, but they made her feel short, even next to Yugi, despite the fact that she still towered over him. But it brought her a little closer to eye-level with Yami, and she just wasn't used to being on equal levels with anyone. She'd even been taller than Joey. Of course, she'd been wearing boots then. She spent a few seconds wondering if he'd be taller than her now, because of the sandals. She supposed so, and for some reason, the thought made her even angrier.

"Hey," she called, and Yami and Yugi glanced over. She motioned over to a cluster of rocks over to the right. "Should we stop and rest?"

"I think so," Yugi said, glancing up at Yami for clarification. The ex-spirit furrowed his eyes a little.

"We should keep moving to Akuma as fast as we can, but if you're tired, Yugi…"

"Just a little," Yugi said valiantly. "I'll only need to stop for about five minutes."

"You can take longer if you need it," Yami said, putting a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder and guiding him over. Mai rolled her eyes and primly stepped over the first boulder. The rocks formed a half-circle with a warm cluster of sand in the middle.

That perfect habitat should have been her first clue. The second clue, the slight scraping sound of scales upon sand, came too late for her.

The sound hit her ears a split-second before the snake's fangs sank into her exposed lower leg. It didn't hurt at first, not a bit. She simply looked blankly down at the snake, not two feet long, looking so innocent and harmless. It hissed at her, and slithered back under the rock she'd just stepped over. The sound of more sand being rustled was heard from under the rock; she supposed there was a snake family under there. She choked back a giggle; how cute. The sand and the sky seemed to be blurring together.

"Don't come in," she said faintly, taking a few staggering steps toward what she hoped was Yami and Yugi. It turned out she was wrong, but that was lucky; she would have tripped over the boulder and probably gotten bitten again.

"Mai?" Yugi's concerned voice. He'd obviously noted something was wrong. Good for him.

"Snake…" she said lightly, spinning in a circle. She felt someone grab her arm and lower her to a sitting position in the sand; likely Yami.

"An asp?" Yugi asked, horrified. Maybe he'd seen the telltale colors, the tan and black oddly reminiscent of a jungle-cat, of the snake slithering around the rocks. "Yami, she was bitten by an asp!"

She felt a pressure on her leg. Yami was attending to the bite. _Suck and spit, suck and spit_, she chanted softly in her head. _Mai, hold on_… someone said that. Yugi, she thought. But it didn't really matter, because her vision was slowly starting to go black.

xXx

"Okay," Tristan said, taking a deep breath. "You've got your meds?"

Serenity nodded faintly, not trusting herself to speak. Today was the day she, Tristan and Duke were going to try and leave the Rare Hunter's city.

The 'meds' Tristan was referring to was a bottle of dried herbs. The three of them had spent the last few days in the same warehouse. Every night, when Serenity tried to go to sleep, she was stricken with horrible nightmares. She dreamt about her brother, running to find her but he never could. She saw pictures of him dying, burning, screaming… Monsters cutting him to pieces, two strange boys laughing. She'd woken up every few hours, either in a cold sweat or screaming bloody murder. Eventually, it progressed so that she couldn't sleep at all.

What the cause of these were, she couldn't guess. Or rather, she didn't know what had brought them on. Perhaps it was being separated from Mai for the first time in about a year; maybe it was losing Yugi and Yami. Maybe it was the approaching fear that Joey was moving toward Akuma, the center of all evil; or so she'd been told.

Tristan and Duke, conferring, had finally agreed to get her some medication. There were certain herbs that would put her into a deep sleep with one sniff. After a brief squabble over who was to get them (both of them wanted to do Serenity this favor, but neither of them trusted her alone with the other), Tristan had finally fetched them to her in a small glass bottle.

He claimed that the man who'd sold it to him had said it would be a dreamless sleep, but the one night Serenity used them, she'd dreamed. She didn't mind, though. It was a nice dream. A beautiful woman, with silky blonde hair and deep, sad eyes was talking to her. She looked relieved, like she'd been trying to break into Serenity's dreams for a while. She stroked Serenity's hair like a mother, and petted her eyelids. In her dreams, Serenity could see, and the woman assured her that soon she'd be able to see in reality as well. She'd woken up refreshed and at peace, and Duke and Tristan decided that they would try and leave.

"No disguises," Duke was saying. Tristan had seemed unsure when they discussed this before, but Duke had always countered him. "Disguises would only draw attention to ourselves. Even if they recognize you or I, so what? What do we have to hide?"

"Let's go," Tristan said finally, taking up Serenity's hand.

"Yes," Duke said, grabbing her other hand. The boys steered Serenity outside. She couldn't see the sun, but she felt it on her face.

As they moved through town, she felt them relax. They must be nearly on the border by now. They would make it.

"Hey- you!"

Serenity was pretty sure, by the stiffening of their hands, that the speaker was directing this unwanted attention at them.

"Good day," Tristan replied neutrally.

She felt a presence approaching her, standing in front. She could practically feel the breath of the stranger on her face.

"This girl," he said finally. The man's voice was average, somewhat high, rather pleasant. It didn't seem like the sort of voice that would belong to a Rare Hunter. "She was with the others."

"The others?" Duke inquired levelly.

"I'm sure of it. I saw her enter this village a few days ago with two boys and a girl. The three of them attacked the Hunters and fled. They are on our wanted list now."

"This doesn't seem to concern us," Duke said tightly.

"Well, maybe not you. But I'll have to take the girl in for questioning."

"What?" Duke and Tristan exclaimed as one, moving in front of her.

"You heard me," the man repeated, and his voice took on a dangerous tinge. "When did you two meet up with her?"

After a moment of hesitation, Tristan answered. "She's an old friend. We met up with her in this village. By- appointment. The other three you speak of were her escorts. They planned to split paths. Whatever they did, she is not responsible."

"I believe your story," the man replied, and Serenity let out a breath of air. "However, as a safety precaution, I'll still have to take her in.

"Don't worry," he said hastily, when they started to voice their protests. "She won't be harmed. I'll bring her to Akuma with the caravan going that way. If she cooperates, and gives all the information she knows, Marik and Bakura will arrange an armed guard to bring her anywhere she desires. It's those other three we're after."

"Can we come with her, at least?" Tristan asked, his voice tinged with despair. There was a pause, the man seemed to be thinking.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think so," he finally said thoughtfully. "There's room for her on the camel caravan, but for no more. You have several options. You can either start walking to Akuma, take a later caravan, or arrange for the guard to bring her to a pre-chosen city when the questioning is completed."

There was another long pause. Duke finally asked, defeated, "When is the next caravan?"

"Six days," the man replied.

"How long would it take to walk to Akuma?"

"If you leave now and walk continuously, you should arrive at approximately the same time as if you took the second caravan."

"Serenity," Duke murmured in her ear. "Tristan and I will run to Akuma. Stay put once you're there. Stay out of trouble. _Don't tell them who you are. Don't tell them anything about Yugi or Yami_. Lie if you have to. Play dumb."

"I can take care of myself," she said, glad her voice wasn't shaking. "But promise to come soon."

"I promise," Duke and Tristan said immediately in unison. She gave them both a quick, grateful hug, and held out her arm. The man, who she supposed had to be a Rare Hunter, took her hand gently. He was polite, at least, and seemed apologetic for this trouble.

"See you," she said to Duke and Tristan, and then the man led her away.

She was placed atop a camel, much to her surprise, though she didn't know what she had expected. There was another girl about her own age with her, who seemed to be a more experienced rider. The caravan must have been nearly ready to go, because they left the city within half an hour. Judging by the wind in her face, they were moving faster that Serenity had supposed a camel could go. The clock ticked down, they steadily approached Akuma, and dread began to fill her heart.

xXx

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**Notes**: I don't know how many of you are familiar with traveling by camel, but it's commonplace in the desert. Camels can move pretty quickly; at least, a lot faster than people could. It's not entirely comfortable, though; I believe they have a rolling gate a lot different, much more lurching, than a horse. That's why Serenity was placed with another rider; that other girl is supposed to keep control of the reins and make sure Serenity doesn't fall off because a single, inexperienced, blind rider couldn't control a camel by herself.

Just some information that I didn't want to throw into the story, but felt was good for you to know to understand what Serenity's going through!


	19. Chapter 18

Sakakku

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Notes: Thanks to Mother Chow Goddess, who caught my mistake last chapter ::grimaces:: I finally fixed it.

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Chapter 18

xXx

Ryou had made it three-quarters of the way through the genealogy. It hadn't improved in the slightest.

Kaya was in there, making her rounds. She was moving along the walls again, but much slower than previous times. When she reached the window, she furrowed her brow and went over every square inch of it. Then she swiftly made her way to the door connecting Ryou's room with Malik's, and put her hand on the handle.

Her reaction was instantaneous. "What have you been doing?" she demanded.

Ryou, who had given up on her ever talking, looked up in alarm. "What?" he asked.

"How are you doing that?" Her braids lashed her face as she swung her head around. "Not even Geoff could dismantle _my_ locks!"

"What do you mean?" Ryou threw the book down and got up in a hurry.

"Look!" Furiously, she shoved down on the knob, and kicked the door. It flew open.

"Aah!" Ryou cried involuntarily. Malik, lounging on the bed on the other side, glanced up sharply. When he saw Ryou, he shot up and tried to dash across the room, but Kaya grabbed the door and yanked it closed again. Balling up her fist, she smacked the door, leaving a black handprint that looked wet. As Ryou watched in disbelief, it dissolved into the door and he knew it was sealed again.

"How were you doing that?" Kaya asked again, her voice a dangerous hiss.

"I didn't do _that_," Ryou protested. "Do you mean the door was unlocked all this time?"

"It was _not_," Kaya frowned. "I locked it and sealed all the walls. _Something_ has been draining my magic." She glared at him suspiciously.

"It wasn't me!" Ryou tried to tell her. "I don't even know how to- to be magical!"

"It wasn't even moved," she said, mostly to herself. "It was just- gone. Something sucked it up."

"Today?" Ryou asked.

"I don't think so…" her brow furrowed. "It's been going little by little, but I wasn't really sure. But today it was almost all gone." She sighed. "I'll have to redo _all_ of it. And then report this to Bakura. He _won't_ be happy."

"Why?" Ryou found himself asking. Kaya simply looked exasperated. "Why do you have to help out Bakura?"

She knew perfectly well what he meant, and her eyes flashed. "You don't understand _anything_, Ryou," she accused.

The words stung. "I understand a lot more than you think I do, _Kaya_," he retorted. "I'm the one imprisoned here, after all. And _you're _the one helping to imprison me. I don't think your _mother_ would have approved."

He would have taken it back if he could have. He normally wasn't the type of person to tell that to anyone, ever, under normal circumstances. But these were far from normal circumstances, and he'd said that with the intention of hurting her.

Kaya's eyes grew brighter. It was almost painful to look at her. At first Ryou thought it was the guilt, but soon realized: she was glowing.

"I'm sorry," he tried to say, and he _meant _it. But he didn't think she realized that.

She continued to glow a moment longer, then immediately the light left her. And as shadow crept back over her body, a wall of darkness closed around the room. Ryou glanced around fearfully.

It wasn't the Shadow Realm darkness, and it wasn't even nighttime darkness. More as if he'd covered himself with a blanket on a sunny day. It was an eerie feeling and Ryou liked it less than anything he'd been put through so far.

"You won't break this lock," Kaya said solemnly, with no trace of anger or malice in her voice. She was just a girl doing her job. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on it."

The shadows didn't cover anything in the room, just obscured it somewhat. Kaya made her way over to the door and slipped through it. Usually, Ryou would hear her drawing bolts; she didn't magic it shut because of the Rare Hunters. But this time, there was nothing.

Cautiously, he made his way over to the door and tried to touch the handle. But the minute his hand drew near, the shadows clustered around and a wave of pain shot up his arm. Gasping, Ryou leapt back, staring wide-eyed.

Whatever had undid her previous spells, he'd like to see it go up against _this_.

xXx

_'Go talk to Geoff_.'

Kaya made her way down the hall, hurrying a few feet ahead of the Rare Hunter accompanying her.

_'You and he can talk a while, catch up, and maybe find out what's been happening to your magic.'_

She paused when the hallway split into two, looking at the Rare Hunter for guidance. He nodded for her to go right.

_'Yes, sir_._' She'd hesitated, then knelt at Bakura's feet. He regarded her for a moment, smirking, then nudged her with his foot and told her to go._

"Here," the Rare Hunter told her, and she backtracked. The door he was pointing at was marked by a single eye in the middle; just as the door leading to her temporary rooms were. Of course. She tried the knob, but it was locked. Kaya knocked on the door, frowning a little. When she'd put her hand on the knob, she'd detected a really powerful locking spell. Why did Geoff think he needed it?

"Coming," a muffled voice said, and her heart skipped a beat. When Geoff finally opened the door, his hair cut neatly as ever, she squealed and jumped on him, hugging him as hard as she could.

"_Kaya_!" he shouted in surprise, then laughed and grabbed her. "You're here! I can't believe it!"

"I missed you," she choked out, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Here, come on _in_," he said, swinging the door open wider. "Ah…" he started when the Rare Hunter made a motion as if to follow. "I'm so sorry, but I haven't seen my sister in three weeks. Would it be okay if we were alone? Just for a while? We won't _go_ anywhere…"

The Rare Hunter had started nodding at the beginning of the sentence. Inclining his head, he backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Kaya beamed at her brother, ready to start a long, involved discussion of everything they'd missed, but something about his expression caught her off guard. "What is it?"

"So what have you found out?" Geoff asked in a hushed whisper.

"What?" She asked again uncertainly. She wasn't sure what he was talking about. Did he mean… "Something's been sucking up my locking spells in Ryou Bakura's room."

"I know." Geoff exhaled. "That's the one thing I haven't been able to figure out either. But I have gotten a lot of information.

"You know about the Millennium Items, right?" Luckily, he didn't wait for her to answer but plowed on. "Bear with me, I'm going to go over it. Maybe hearing everything from beginning to end will help us." With that, he started an overview of something she'd only heard hints about:

"The seven Items are scattered. Bakura and Marik have the Eye, the Ring, and the Rod. Pharaoh Yami, who _is_ alive, has the Puzzle; that much I know. Yami used the magic of the Puzzle to split bodies with his 'light', his 'hikari', Yugi Moto. Just like how Bakura used the magic of the Ring to split bodies with Ryou.

"Malik and Marik are _so_ confusing. Marik isn't a real yami. He's something different, something even more improbable than the yami-hikari relationship. Apparently he was born from something dark living _inside_ Malik.

"I know, I know!" he said hastily, mistaking Kaya's stunned expression. "I don't get it. But that's what happened. And then _somehow_, they got new bodies.

"I- I don't know how they did it. But I think Marik managed to transfer his spirit into the Rod instead of inside Malik. Then he used the same process that Bakura and Yami did. So it was relatively easy for him anyway.

"But that's not the important part. What's important is what's happening now. They called us in here to lock the dungeons after the breakout of a prisoner, Joey Wheeler, and to lock the rooms. They know that someone is planning on helping Téa Gardner, another captive, escape." Geoff's eyes shifted at this, and he looked like he wanted to say something else, but changed his mind and plowed on:

"When I first got here, I thought that Bakura and Marik were pure evil. I bet you did too." Kaya nodded fiercely for the first time, and Geoff hurried on: "But whenever I report to Marik, I've been beginning to feel something weird surrounding him. An aura of sorts. You've felt it too, around Bakura?"

Now that he mentioned it, she _had_. But she hadn't paid attention to it; every time she got near Bakura all she could think about was how much she hated him.

"There's more," Geoff rushed on, "but I've been talking too much. They won't let you stay here forever. What have you found out?"

He looked at her expectantly, and her throat closed. "How did you learn all this?" she blurted.

"Odion. Malik. Prisoners from 'my' half of the dungeons. Bribing Rare Hunters." He shrugged, but looked at her curiously. "Have you been trying to find out anything, Kaya?"

Hating to say no, she bit her lip. "They killed Mother," she said instead.

Geoff's eyes darkened. "I know," he said, balling up his fist. "That's why I'm trying to fight them. What are _you_ doing, Kaya?"

She took a deep breath. "Bakura sent me here," she said evenly, "to find out what's been sucking up my magic."

He gazed at her disbelievingly. She shrugged. "You don't know, so I guess I'll go now," she said quietly, moving swiftly to the door before he could say anything. She slipped out and motioned for the Rare Hunter to lead the way back to Bakura's throne in the main room.

xXx

"What did you find out?" Bakura asked lazily.

Kaya took a deep breath. _That Geoff is a traitor to you_… "Nothing, sir," she said quietly. "He noticed the force as well, but cannot identify it."

"Hm," Bakura frowned. "I don't like this, Kaya."

"I'm sorry, sir," she said placidly. "I used a more powerful locking spell on Ryou's room. If I reinforce it every few days it should hold."

"Ah," Bakura smiled. "That's better. But I want you to be investigating this… unusual occurrence."

"Of course, sir," she said, bowing down and taking her cue to exit the room.

What a good, obedient little servant she made. She hated it. But she _couldn't_ do what Geoff was doing. She couldn't betray Bakura. It was too frightening…

She cried herself to sleep that night, missing her mother worse than ever.

xXx

Geoff didn't know that Kaya was sobbing across the palace. He didn't even know where she was kept. But his sister was on his mind as he crept from his room three hours after dark. She was afraid, he knew that. He wished their mother was there. Kaya seemed to draw her strength from her.

Geoff had always prided himself on being independent. Even now, he was able to accomplish a lot, all on his own. But that didn't stop him from _missing_ his mother.

When he nearly ran right into Odion, he mentally scolded himself. Without talking, he followed the bigger man through the hallways. Odion had a natural ability to blend in with the shadows, he noted. Geoff himself had put a quick shadow-spell on his cloak before he left the room.

He moved up ahead of Odion when they approached Téa's room. Closing his eyes, he put a hand on the doorknob and focused, deliberately unweaving the locking spell he'd placed there just a few hours ago. The door silently swung open, but Geoff didn't leave right away; he wanted to make sure Téa and Odion left together safely.

Odion shifted behind him; Geoff knew what was troubling the man. Téa didn't seem to be in the room; he peered around closely to be sure.

Suddenly, a soft blue figure detached itself from the darkness of the wall. Téa moved forward gracefully, coming into view. Odion nodded in approval at the cloak, and Geoff shook both their hands. When the two of them left, he furrowed his brow briefly; he quickly replaced the locking spells. Then he slipped down the halls, making it back to his rooms with ease.

He hadn't thought he would be able to sleep; was sure that he'd be up all night worrying for those two. But the exhaustion overtook him the second his head hit the pillow, and he woke up the next morning to disaster.


	20. Chapter 19

Sakakku

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Notes: Oh, I am good. I wrote this chapter before we learned that Seto actually _does_ have a Luster Dragon. Anyway, I went searching on Pokeorder to find a summary of Luster Dragon (there are actually two, but you should know which one I'm talking about). Here it is: '_This dragon feeds on emeralds. Enchanted by this monster even when attacked, few people live to tell of its beauty_'. O.O;; …Yeah, that's Seto's card for you.

Seto-throwing-the-card-at-Rare-Hunter never technically happened, since I spun off into the AU before he did so in the episode. But I'm assuming he's done that nifty trick before. Also, they cut it out of the dub, but Seto used a card to block Kimo's gun from firing.

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Chapter 19

xXx

Seto noted Ezra's habit of kicking up sand when she walked. She would do it every few feet; nothing much, just stirring up a small cloud of sand. Anuba seemed to have the same habit, only more annoying; she'd walk in front of Seto and send a shower of sand onto his legs.

"Hey," Seto said suddenly, causing Anuba's ears to perk up. He ignored the jackal and directed his attention toward a surprised Ezra; they'd left two days ago and he'd barely spoken.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to make small talk?" she asked teasingly, moving closer to him all the same.

"Very funny. Listen." Seto fished around in his trenchcoat pocket. His deck was strapped to his waist, but there was a lone card in his pocket. Last night, while Ezra slept using Anuba as a pillow, he'd stayed up late plotting. The conclusion he'd come to: "Take this." He held out the card to her.

She took it, something coming alight in her eyes as she studied the card. "Luster Dragon," she recited, fingering the edge of the card. "You're giving it to me?"

"You're my responsibility," he said shortly. "If you die, it'll be on my hands. Use this to protect yourself." His harsh words didn't belittle the true meaning behind the statement.

"How do I use it?" she asked, looking up at him. "Throw it?" She pretended to toss it at an opponent, grinning at him, and he had to work to stifle a laugh. He'd used cards as weapons before, but decided against telling her that. It would probably just encourage her.

"I'll teach you how to Summon while we move," Seto said complacently, handing her another card. Giant Germ would be easier for her to handle in the beginning stages. "It's hard and it takes a lot of work."

Ezra blinked in surprise at this sudden proclamation. "Okay," she said, cocking her head and staring thoughtfully at the cards. "Sure."

Another thing Seto decided against telling her was that Marik and Bakura could feel the Shadow Magic. No sense in worrying her, or so he thought.

xXx

"It's so…"

He could tell that she was about to say 'gross' as Ezra stared at the Giant Germ, but she decided against it. "Amazing," she finished, which was also true. Curiosity overcoming disgust, she reached out and touched it gently on the side. "It's _real_!"

"Of course it's real," he said impatiently.

It had taken Ezra a little over a day to learn to Summon; she and Seto had been working constantly. He watched her examining Giant Germ; her breathing was a little shaky. She must be _exhausted_. He felt a stab of guilt but quickly pushed it away; it wasn't _his_ fault. He was just trying to protect her, after all.

"Can you keep walking?" he asked.

"Uhm, what do I do with the Monster?" she asked, motioning toward Giant Germ.

"Just let it go," he said shortly. "Think about it carefully, and command it to return to the Shadow Realm."

She didn't say anything, but her brow furrowed slightly. A second later, Giant Germ shriveled and disappeared. Anuba, who had been taking the Shadow Realm Summonings very well, darted forward and sniffed the sand it had once inhabited.

"Can you keep walking?" Seto repeated his question.

"I think so," she said faintly, pressing a hand to her brow. "I'm a little tired, but I can handle it…"

"We shouldn't stop," Seto said, half-apologetically.

"Okay," she nodded, taking a few steps forward. Anuba looked up, ears perking, and trotted to Ezra's side. She stood behind Ezra's legs, and the girl leaned slightly on her.

"You can't walk, can you?" Seto's voice was somewhere between exasperated and worried. He supposed he couldn't be rightly angry with her; weakness after Summoning was what had brought them together, after all.

"I can…" her voice trailed away before she made her point. Seto shrugged resignedly.

"Sit down," he ordered; when she didn't move he walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sit," he said, guiding her to her knees. "You need to sleep or you won't be able to walk at all." It was funny how their roles were reversed.

Anuba obediently padded behind Ezra and curled up, ready to be used as a pillow again. Managing a weak smile at Seto, Ezra laid down and closed her eyes.

Seto paced in circles around the jackal and the girl. He didn't _really_ think that any Rare Hunters were out there, ready to pounce right away, but there was no harm in being careful. But odds were, Marik and Bakura wouldn't be able to get to them within two days. By then, they should be long gone.

xXx

Téa clenched the cloak around her slim frame. Odion was leading her through a small hallway, like he had described in his original plan. But she was pretty sure that something had tweaked that original plan. He'd started to lead her down a different hallway at first, but had stopped abruptly. A Rare Hunter lurked in the shadows. They'd backed up, excruciatingly slowly, and were now tiptoeing down a second corridor. She wanted to ask him if that Hunter was supposed to be there, but was afraid to break the heavy and ominous silence that seemed to be lying over the castle.

Odion's slow progress died away until he was standing stock-still, peering into the blackness. He apparently decided everything was clear, took half-a-step, and leaned back again. This time, Téa saw what he did: the shifting shadow of another Rare Hunter.

"They shouldn't be here," Odion murmured, his voice barely audible. "Something has changed their plans."

Téa swallowed hard. "W-what was it?" Her voice seemed far too loud, bouncing off the walls to echo mockingly back at her.

"Perhaps…" Odion never completed his sentence.

"Are all the exits blocked?" she asked in a dry whisper.

"It is likely," Odion said, his voice grim.

"Who goes there?!"

The voice was so unexpected Téa nearly screamed. She slapped two hands across her mouth to keep from doing so. Odion froze, and for the first time she saw him as vulnerable.

The shadow they had spotted before grew larger. The Rare Hunter was heading their way. "Is anyone there?"

Téa backed up hastily; Odion followed. She glanced left and saw her room; she put her hand on the knob. Maybe she could go in, Odion could pretend he was doing his rounds, and they could put off her escape.

Locked. Her blood froze. Locked. Locked.

"I told Geoff to lock it behind us," Odion said, his throat closing up. "So they wouldn't suspect him."

Tears started to brim behind her eyes. She didn't say anything. The footsteps were growing closer.

What was the worst that could happen? She'd be recaptured, but not worse off than she'd been before. Not unless Marik and Bakura decided to punish her. She shivered, imagining all the horrible things they could do to her.

But what about _Odion_? It was doubtful that he could bluff his way out of the situation at this point. She didn't know where he was supposed to be at this time of night, but she was pretty sure it wasn't _here_. What would Marik and Bakura do to him? They'd be _furious_ that their 'most loyal servant' had betrayed their trust.

"Téa, get back." The action that accompanied the words was his strong arm, gripping her shoulder and pushing her behind his giant body. She wanted to ask what good that would do, but he reached into a side pocket in a lightning-fast motion.

He pulled out four cards; placed three of them in mid-air. They stayed, suspended in front of him, forming a triangle.

"Cup of Sealed Soul- Seal of Serket- Temple of the Kings! I call upon you to merge your power!"

Golden beams of light connected the three cards. Téa watched in awe. She'd never had a chance to see a Shadow Realm Summoning before. Was this how they all went?

"Mystical Beast Serket!"

Odion slammed the fourth card, a Monster, right in the center of the golden light. Suddenly the whole hallway lit up, bright as day, and Téa threw a hand in front of her eyes. A giant, scorpion-looking thing appeared; it was too big for the hallway and the ceiling came tumbling down. Following a command Téa supposed came from Odion, but that she hadn't heard him verbally give, Serket gave a horrible shriek and smashed down the door to her room.

Shouts came from all sides; every Rare Hunter in the vicinity came charging towards them. Odion grabbed Téa's arm and yanked her rudely forward, forgetting courtesy in the desperate rush.

Mystical Beast Serket charged straight through the center of her room, knocking down the far wall with ease. Téa was shaken, and didn't seem to understand what Odion was telling her to do; he had to pick the light girl up and place her on the back of Serket himself. The Monster crawled through the rubble and straight down the wall.

In a daze, Téa noted when they hit flat ground again. Their detour had slowed the Rare Hunters down, but not for long. Already Monsters were swooping overhead, and Serket picked up speed as it charged across the grounds, straight for the front wall. She noted Odion throwing a card on the ground as Serket sped over it; he did this three times. She was burning to ask what it was, but now wasn't the time for questions.

When they reached the wall and climbed halfway up, things started to come back into focus for Téa. They were going to make it! She and Odion were going to be free! If Serket could just make it over the walls- and if they could just disappear into the night-

The surface they were on seemed to shake. As they cleared the top, Téa peeked over and saw the ground on the other side erupt. She cringed; the Monster that appeared now was a familiar one. Dungeon Worm writhed up from the dirt and lunged at Serket's stomach, biting the exposed, fleshy area.

Serket bellowed and reared up, flailing its legs. Téa felt herself falling, but once again Odion came to her rescue. He grabbed the back of her cloak and yanked; the two of them fell to the free side of the wall when Serket toppled back.

She heard piercing shrieks coming from the Mystical Beast. Apparently, all the Monsters were converging on Serket. She shuddered, then Odion was hoisting her to her feet.

"Come on," he hissed in her ear. "I laid a few traps for them- a card called Embodiment of Opopis- but it won't slow them for long."

She nodded dumbly and stumbled forward; she suddenly noticed Odion wasn't moving. "What's wrong?" she cried, hurrying back towards him.

"It was a long way down," he said grimly. "I landed on my leg and crushed it."

With a surge of guilt, Téa remembered what had broken her fall- namely, the big man himself. "There's _no_ way I'm leaving you," she said firmly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Not after everything you risked."

"Téa, I risked it for _you_," Odion said in his deep, sad voice, staring into her eyes. "This is only what I expected. It's just what I deserve."

"You don't deserve to be stuck here!" she said in a shrill voice, still not moving. "You're strong and brave and you helped me escape! You were supposed to come with me!"

"I betrayed my Masters. I betrayed Marik and Bakura."

"You're going to let yourself die because of _that_? Because you feel guilty betraying two people who are responsible for the destruction of the world?"

"My leg _is_ hurt," he chose to say again.

"But you can still walk." She grabbed his hand and yanked him forward, noticing how he stumbled but was still able to support himself. "I know it hurts, but we need to get away now. That's what importa-aaaaaa!"

A Whiptail Crow had swooped down and seized the girl, grabbing her with its sharp talons. The infamous tail made as if to give Odion a blow, but he dodged it. Seemingly content with its prize, Whiptail Crow seemed about to fly back over the wall, but even Téa's slight form was too much weight for the not-large Monster to bear. It staggered slightly, and Téa viscously swiped at it with her nails.

Whiptail Crow shrieked and beat its wings, sending Téa flying in the direction of the wall. More Monsters were coming in, converging on the girl. Téa fought back at them as best she could with bare hands; luckily, their intent seemed to be to recapture her rather than harm the girl.

"Odion, I've lost!" she shrieked above the sounds of the Monsters attacking and the Rare Hunters approaching. "You have to leave!"

He shook his head, reaching for his deck only to find it missing. He swore; he must have dropped it when Serket was hurt. He rolled back his sleeves, preparing to enter the battle with his own muscle, but Téa noticed what he was doing.

"_You promised_!" she cried at him, before a Queen Bird silenced her with a feathery slap across the face. Whiptail Crow grabbed one of her arms again in its large talons; her escape attempt was useless.

"You promised!"

Odion's feet started carrying him backwards by himself. He watched Téa struggling, hating himself, hating all the promises he'd made and those he'd broken. Finally, when Téa gave up the fight and the Rare Hunters reclaimed her, he slipped away into the night. When they finally pulled themselves together enough to look for him, he was long gone.


	21. Chapter 20

Sakakku

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Notes: To answer some commonly-asked questions:

Téa doesn't have access to any cards, so she wouldn't have a chance to learn to Summon.

No OC romances in this story. Mostly because I'd feel _weird_ writing a romance between one of my friends and Seto in this fic. ::glances at Mamono:: Hmm, so what do you think about all this winking being shot at you two? ()

Yes, I'm leading up to a dramatic clash that starts… here, I guess, and will last about ten chapters or so.

Yes, Seto's- now Ezra's- Luster Dragon is the 6-star Monster. You can tell by the description.

Now, onto the fic!

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Chapter 20

xXx

Joey entered Akuma by night.

It was worse than he remembered it. There was a feeling in the air that he equated to wading through Jello- cold, slippery, and hard to breathe in. He rubbed his hands together vigorously, and clutched his pack closer. "Not fun, huh, Bob?" he whispered. Though the lizard probably couldn't hear him, much know he was being spoken to, it made Joey feel less alone. Silly, perhaps, but then again no one was around to make fun of him.

Akuma was _not_ a nice place. Whether you were a prisoner, escapee, or passer-by, it was grey and dismal. Prosperous, since Marik and Bakura centered their wealth in Akuma, but unpleasant. People who lived in Akuma were hated throughout the world. They had sold out their friends and neighbors, gone straight over to Marik and Bakura, and were rewarded for their greed.

Joey edged into the shadows and pulled off his hood. Nikkō had stitched it quickly for him. Though the fabric was nice, and the gesture was great, he hated it. He hated the closed-in feeling it gave him. He'd be safe in this dark alley for the night. In the morning, he could start talking to the villagers, once again under the safety of the hood.

He let out a yawn and curled up in the most out-of-the-way corner he could find. He wanted to use the pack as a pillow, but Bob was still in there. He settled for propping his head up on his arms, the hood folded up and acting as a meager cushion.

He fell asleep but was woken a short time later. He didn't know how long he'd slept- not long enough, the back of his mind said ruefully, but he had other things on his mind. Someone was coming.

The footsteps were close to his head, and he scrambled back swiftly, on all fours. When he was about fifty feet away, he realized in dismay that he'd left his pack behind. His hood too, he realized; it must have fallen off his arm.

He hid behind a stacked pile of empty wooden crates, peering out from between the slits. The clouds shifted overhead, and moonlight spilled into the alley. A huge form loomed out of the shadows; Joey stifled a scream. He was almost relieved to recognize it as a Rare Hunter; in the dark, the thing had looked like everyone's worst nightmare manifested.

The man seemed to be limping; at the very least he was favoring one leg. His hood was pushed back. Joey noted the lined face; a closer examination revealed that it was tattooed all over. Strong black hair was pulled back into a ponytail though the man was mostly bald. He was tall and broad-shouldered. Overall, Joey thought, gulping, not a man to be trifled with. He clenched his fists.

The man's foot hit something soft. "What's this?" he asked aloud, in a voice gentler than Joey would have guessed but deep enough to fit the frame. He stooped down and scooped up Joey's pack; he either missed the hood or it was farther away. "Who's there?" This time his voice was sharper.

_Wait a second_. Joey _knew_ this man! Not from his stay in the dungeons, though he didn't doubt that the man had been in the palace at the time. From- from-

From a year ago, when he'd been under the mind-control of Marik. His throat closed up. This Rare Hunter had been present a year ago, when all this had started- was probably responsible for this whole mess- might even had seen Joey while he was brainwashed, maybe helped-

A feral snarl, and Joey leaped out from behind the crates. His eyes flashed, and he dimly registered the Rare Hunter spinning to face him in alarm. Then Ax Warrior jumped forward, seemingly coming from midair, and launched itself at the Hunter. Joey wasn't far behind his Monster, either. He attacked the Hunter from the right, pounding and snatching with his fists.

"Wait!"

Joey didn't listen, blinded by rage. What, did the Hunter think he was stupid?

A fist from Ax Warrior sent the man flying. As the Monster hurried forward, Joey noticed that the Hunter wasn't reaching for his own deck. In fact, he wasn't trying to defend himself at all.

"Hold on a second!"

At his command, Ax Warrior stopped in midstep. Joey took a quick look at the man. He was sitting on the ground, hands up over his head.

"Who are you?" Joey demanded.

"I am Odion," the man said calmly. "I recognize you, Mister Wheeler. Please, hold off your Monster while I explain."

So. The man knew him too. Joey had heard Odion's name, usually uttered with respect from the guards in the dungeons. This alone was cause to distrust the man.

"He won't attack yet, but one funny move-" Joey threatened. Odion simply nodded.

"I understand your caution."

Joey hesitated to sit, but the man made no motion to rise. He simply arranged himself in a cross-legged position. Finally, Joey plopped down, a fair distance from the Hunter. Ax Warrior took up a defensive position behind his master.

"I am Odion," the man restated. "I was a Rare Hunter employed by Marik and Bakura, until recently."

"Recently?" Joey demanded, taking in the man's cloak. "How recently?"

"Tonight," Odion said simply, his dark eyes glittering.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. "What happened?"

"I betrayed my masters," Odion stated, voice low and sad. Joey snorted at the tone, but was slightly impressed.

"Yeah? How? What'd you do?"

"I assisted in the attempted escape of one of the prisoners," Odion said. "A young lady named Miss Téa Gardner. I believe you knew her in the past."

Joey scrambled to his knees. "You helped Téa?"

"I failed."

"But-" Joey stopped. His eyes fell. "What happened? Please, tell me everything."

The moon had nearly disappeared behind the tops of the low buildings by the time they were finished talking. Joey had reclaimed his pack; he'd decided to let Bob wander around and was moodily following the lizard with his eyes. Odion had sunk further and further into a state of depression as his tale continued and his utter failure became apparent to him.

"Now what?" Joey asked, dragging his finger through the dirt.

"Here."

Joey glanced up to see Odion taking off the Rare Hunter cloak; he wore rough pants and a simple shirt underneath. "Take this," Odion said, handing him the cloak. "It might prove useful to you and I have no further need for it."

Joey studied the cloak a minute, his eyes glazing over. It had just become apparent to him what he needed to do.

"All right," he said, voice full of determination. In the growing light, he searched around for the hood, and pulled it back on. "Where are you going?"

Odion shrugged tiredly. "I'll have to leave the village. I don't know."

"I wish I could help," Joey said, hesitating. But he didn't think there was anything he could do; apparently, neither did Odion. He simply shook his head.

"Best of luck, Mister Wheeler."

"Hey, thanks," Joey said, sticking out his hand. After a brief pause, Odion shook it. "Good luck to you too."

Odion nodded, gave a final look to the first rays of sun, and ducked down the alley and out of sight. Joey, folding up the cloak and carrying it under his arm, headed straight for the palace. His jaw was set. He knew what was coming.

xXx

"Hello."

Ryou, hunched over the book, froze. Slowly, he lifted his head to make eye contact with Kaya. She was waiting not-so-patiently, her eyes narrow and annoyed. "H-hello?" he tried to sputter out.

"Listen," she said, crossing the room to the door. The one that led to Malik's room. Then she proceeded to stick her hands on it, into the shadows, and ignore him.

Ryou tried to listen, but he didn't hear anything. He was afraid to talk, so he just watched her.

After about five minutes, she spun to face him. "Listen," she said again. "If you hit the door once, a mirror will open up and you'll be able to see into Malik's room. If you hit it again, it'll become a window, and you two can talk to each other. Hit it a third time, and it'll go away. Just keep doing that. See?"

Ryou was staring at her, open-mouthed. She gave him an impatient look. "Get it? It's not that hard, really."

"Why?"

Kaya flinched and turned away. "I dreamed about my mother last night," she said distantly. She didn't seem to be responding to his question at first, but Ryou listened closely. "I miss her. I wonder what she would do if she were here."

She stayed that way, head cocked to the side. Ryou ventured to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off, slightly irritated.

"Thanks," he said softly. This didn't seem to placate her any. He wondered with a sigh what she wanted. Probably to be left alone. Probably for her mother to be alive again.

"Well, thanks," he started to say again, but she gave a heavy and exasperated sigh.

"Get over it, Ryou," she said, walking over to the wall and putting her hand on the shadows. Probably reinforcing the spell that had been there, Ryou realized, to cover her tracks. Oh, well, it wasn't like he could escape anyway.

Much as he wanted to talk to Malik, he restrained himself, waiting until she had left the room. She probably would just get annoyed if he tried to use her window now. But when she exited a few seconds later, refusing to look over at him, he rushed over to the door.

He tentatively balled his hand up into a fist and smacked it, the way he had seen her do when she magicked it the first time.

The blackness around the door suddenly cleared. It shifted away, revealing a small window about as high as Ryou's head and twice as long. He peered through, seeing Malik. The blonde was sitting on the floor, leaning against the desk; it didn't look like a very comfortable position but Malik didn't seem to notice. He was methodically picking at loose threads around his shirtsleeve, pulling them off, and dispersing them around the carpet.

Ryou hit the window again. Nothing seemed to change. He tried to put his head through- nothing happened; it was an invisible barrier. He put his mouth as close as he could and whispered, "_Malik_!"

Malik glanced up sharply. His intense eyes scanned the room once, before settling on Ryou. In a flash, he was up, pressed against the door. "Ryou?"

"Malik!" Ryou said, breaking out into a smile. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"I- I'm glad to see you, Ryou, but _how_? What's going on?"

Ryou pulled back slightly so Malik could see more of his face. "Kaya- this magician- Geoff's sister!-" When he hit on this right description, Malik nodded, and he went on, "she put it in for me. It's a secret. But we can talk now! Finally!"

"Kaya put it in?" Malik asked thoughtfully, his eyes shining. "Geoff is on my side- he's trying to help me too. He's great. Hey- what happened to your _walls_?"

Ryou glanced over his shoulder at the shifting shadows. "Kaya did that too."

"How does that help you?" Malik asked doubtfully.

"It's not supposed to. When her old locks broke, Kaya got mad and put these up. It's definitely going to stop me from escaping, like she's supposed to be doing." Ryou laughed ruefully, but Malik drew back.

"Maybe she's not like Geoff after all," he mused lightly. "What's she like, Ryou? Tell me. We can stay up all night talking if we have to."

Ryou nodded agreeably. Maybe, somehow, comparing notes would help- not that there was really that much to tell.

xXx

Joey stopped just outside the furthest perimeter of Rare Hunter patrols. Hands trembling ever-so-slightly, he unfolded the Rare Hunter cloak. He quickly stripped off his outermost garments, and tugged the cloak on over his rough shirt and shorts.

He pulled out the last of his bread and shoved it in his mouth. He started to cram his old clothes into the pack, but stopped.

"Great," he grumbled, reaching in and lifting out Bob. "I didn't think of _you_ when I started planning."

Bob didn't react. Joey chewed nervously on his lip a moment, eyeing the intimidating wall surrounding Marik and Bakura's palace. It was pure white and fairly tall- _tall enough_, he added mentally. When he escaped the first time, he'd left through the main gate. The _only_ gate. There had been a single guard, and he was dozing. Joey crept right by. He was willing to bet security wasn't that relaxed anymore, though.

"Okay," he finally decided, turning up the front of his shirt. He twisted it, creating a small pouch, and slipped Bob inside. After lightly bouncing a little, to make sure the pouch would hold, he continued shoving the clothes into the pack. He looked around; hid it under a scraggly bush, the first place he found, and straightened up. Clenching his teeth and trusting to fate, he walked briskly up to the front gate, nodded at the three guards, and headed directly into the palace.


	22. Chapter 21

Sakakku

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Notes: I write about Serenity's trials from experience. I ride horses, and being saddlesore is one of the most drawn-out forms of discomfort there is (if I miss a lesson, I'll get saddlesore the next time I ride). I presume camel saddlesore is even worse due to the larger gait. Plus, Serenity has allegedly spent far more time than I ever have on a horse. I've only ever spent three hours at a time. Picking up from the last chapter, she's been on the camel a couple days (I don't specify because at this point, my own timelines are severely confusing me). Ouchies…

This chapter, last chapter, and the next few all happen in the same day. We're _approaching_ the end but not quite there yet.

Odion considers himself a failure because not only did he betray his masters, he couldn't even succeed in helping Téa escape. He's a failure at both a bad guy and a good guy. Which I find rather funny, but…

x

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Chapter 21

xXx

She would be okay. She would be okay.

Sure, she might suffer from bruises from the darned camel for the next, oh, twenty years of her life, and walk bowlegged for forty years longer, and still feel the ground lurching under her for as long as she lived, but she would be okay.

When had she developed a sarcastic sense of humor, anyway?

Serenity swallowed. She'd picked this trait up from a year of living with Mai: using sarcasm to cover up the ever-growing anxiety and penetrating fear worming into her heart. But even the impending doom of Marik and Bakura was slightly belittled by the utter discomfort of sitting astride a camel for five hours a pop, twice a day.

Worse yet, the caravan had made an unexpected detour after intercepting with another rider, this Rare Hunter coming from Akuma. They'd loaded a cargo of fruit at a port by the seaside. She'd gotten to smell the sea air, which was nice, and the girl she'd been riding with- Melanie was the Hunter's name- had steered her for a short walk around town. Her legs had just begun to uncramp when Melanie announced that the caravan was leaving again. So she'd gotten that short break, and nice fruit during the journey to Akuma, but the expected journey length had been doubled.

She'd had a chance to talk to some of the Rare Hunters, primarily Melanie but occasionally others when the caravan camped for the night. She was amazed to find how shockingly normal they were. They didn't seem like bad guys! And they certainly weren't as awful as the ones Mai had told her about were, back in their old village. She was sure now that Rare Hunters weren't _bad_ or _evil_, maybe- just misguided. She wanted desperately to talk to them passionately about their current situation, but of course she had to be super-careful. They couldn't find out that she was Joey Wheeler's sister.

So when she gratefully dismounted at Akuma, bade farewell to Melanie and her camel (she pet the beast grudgingly, knowing it wasn't the camel's fault her legs hurt so much but not feeling ready to forgive it just yet), and allowed herself to be led in the palace by the Hunter's, she was feeling more relaxed. She was sure that she could keep knowledge of Joey and Yugi and Yami undercover, and the Hunters weren't really all that awful. Two of them walked on either side of her, a man and a woman. She believed that they were married; she'd had a few short conversations with them. There were a few other men walking behind them, joking under their breaths as they entered their home city. They occasionally directed their remarks at her, and seemed proud when she giggled; it was almost like they were part of a family.

"Shizuka," a male's voice murmured in her ear. She cocked her head at the alias she had given them. "You don't have to worry about anything; you don't have anything to hide. Just tell Marik and Bakura the truth, and you shouldn't have any problems. I know you're a sweet girl. You'll be able to leave with your friends soon."

"Thanks, Dill," she said gratefully, recognizing the voice. This only reinforced her theory- even if Dill was wrong about her.

"Master Marik will see you right away," a voice announced from in front of them.

"He will?" Dill sounded surprised. Apparently most people didn't waltz in to talk to them. Serenity, for her part, was glad; she didn't fancy waiting. She was beginning to grow nervous again. It seemed like there was something she was forgetting.

"Lately, things have been rather loose- that's a nice way of saying chaotic- around here," the first Hunter muttered softly. "Any other day you'd have to wait. But ever since the prisoner-"

He broke off suddenly. "Through this door!" he announced.

Wondering what he could mean, and feeling the puzzlement of her companions as well, Serenity nevertheless trudged through after the Hunters, feeling their guiding hands on her shoulders.

"This is Shizuka Kawai," Dill presented her. Pressure was put on her shoulder; she obligingly kneeled, feeling a cold shudder of sudden, strong disgust. She must be in front of Marik now. The same scum who had imprisoned her brother.

"Greetings, Hunters," a lazy voice drawled.

"Greetings, Master Marik," the Hunters chorused.

"And greetings to our young visitor, Miss Kawai."

"G-greetings, Master Marik," she said in a soft voice. A tap on her back signaled that it was all right for her to stand up now.

"Shizuka Kawai was seen with the criminals Yami and Yugi Moto and Mai Valentine shortly before they were chased from our Central Village No. 5. However, she was in their company only by accident. Two of her other friends, identified and with spotless records, had intended to meet Shizuka in C.V. No. 5. Yami and Yugi Moto and Mai Valentine seem to have abducted the girl but abandoned her when they were spotted in that same village. We have questioned Shizuka fully about this incident and are ready to clear her of all charges and send her off with her friends, but I know the necessity of formal questioning by Your Graciousness."

"Thank you, Dill," Marik said, still in the same low, creepy drawl. "We'll let Miss Kawai speak for herself now, however. Miss Kawai, how did you come to be in the company of the former Pharaoh, now the most despicable villain of the era?"

_He's not a villain!_ Struggling to control the rising irritation, she began to respond softly, but felt the Rare Hunters around her scatter. Confused for a second, she suddenly felt a hand on her head. Marik. He scared her; even her astute hearing hadn't noticed him approaching close enough to touch.

"You look… oddly familiar," Marik murmured softly.

In a split-second, all the blood rushed from her face. How could she be so stupid? On the _docks_, he'd _been_ there, he'd _seen_ her!

His hand slowly ran down her hair, catching her red locks between his fingers. She bit her tongue.

The hand reached the small of her back and worked its way up, grazing over her shoulder and finally tracing her jaw line and smoothing over the bandages on her eyes. "And how did this happen? Are you blind, Miss Kawai?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I am."

"A shame to happen to such a lovely young lady." His hand splayed flat out over her face, covering her mouth, eyes, and most of her forehead. She tried not to breathe, because he would feel it.

"Now, Miss Kawai… where should I know you from?"

"I don't know, sir," she managed, surprised that her body was still functioning at this point. Her words were slightly muffled under Marik's hand, and he lifted it slightly. She dared to suck in a little air.

She heard someone enter the room from the opposite wall she'd come in. "Marik, what are these Hunters doing here?" someone growled.

Marik turned, letting his hand slip off Serenity's face. She heaved a short sigh of relief, though her troubles were far from over.

"Who's _that_?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Marik answered smoothly. "She claims to be a Miss Shizuka Kawai, but I've seen this face before. Do you know where we might have met this girl?"

"Do I know? Of _course_ I know!" The voice could only belong to Bakura. He sounded a mixture of angry and exuberant. "That's Serenity Wheeler! Sister of convict Joey Wheeler!"

"You leave my brother alone!"

She didn't realize that she'd shouted those words until they escaped her lips. Even then, she was slightly disbelieving. Surely she couldn't be that foolish?

"I do believe you're right, Bakura." His hand clamped back down on her shoulder, much rougher. "Miss Wheeler. Such a pleasure to meet you again."

"Get away from me," she whispered furiously. All she got in response was a laugh.

"Let's see, Miss Wheeler. We'll have to get a special room for you. Don't worry, I know just the Hunter who will take care of you in the meantime. Dagget! Fetch me Mel."

Until Mel arrived, and Marik sent them to a secure room where they were to wait for further instructions, Serenity endured the awful silence. For the first time, she was glad she couldn't see. She didn't want to have to look at the shocked and disappointed Rare Hunters, who had believed that she was their friend. Even worse than the silence was when Marik periodically broke it, chucking to himself as if hearing some evil joke only he could.

xXx

"Akuma," Mokuba said aloud, testing the word. "It sounds scary."

Ishizu and Shadi exchanged looks. The boy was right. Akuma: Devil.

"We won't approach Akuma directly," Shadi said, folding his hands as he walked.

"We won't?" Pegasus asked dubiously. This was news to him. Kimo didn't say anything, but he appeared a little surprised as well.

"It would be fatal," Shadi said dryly.

"Well- I know, but what other options have we got?"

In response, Shadi abruptly stopped walking. The others followed suit, looking expectantly at him. "Mokuba," the Egyptian said, pointing at a cluster of boulders. The five had been walking through rocky sands for the last few hours. "Go climb on the third rock and gaze down."

Blinking, the black-haired boy did so. "There's a few holes in it," he said, bending over. "What do you think made them?"

"The ancient peoples," Shadi said solemnly, causing further mass confusion.

"Here," he finally said, heading over. "I'll take over, young Mokuba."

" 'Young,' " Mokuba muttered as he hopped to a different rock. Then they were all silenced, even Ishizu, as Shadi put his fingers into the worn holes and heaved upward, revealing a narrow, dark tunnelway.

"What is that?" Pegasus exclaimed.

"You know. You have been here before."

The white-haired man blinked, shifting his hat. "This _can't_ be the same city!"

"Yes, Maximillion Pegasus. This is the underground city you and I ventured in those many years ago, before any of this began."

Pegasus shifted uncomfortably. Under here, they had discovered the ruins of the three Gods, and it was from those depictions that Pegasus had resurrected their black power.

"If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else," Ishizu muttered in his ear. He jumped slightly and looked at her. "You can't shift all the blame onto yourself," she added. "…even if Shadi is sometimes over-fond of doing that."

"I heard that, Ishizu," Shadi said sternly, and the two looked up guiltily. Mokuba burst out giggling. "So, are we going down?" he asked excitedly, hopping around.

"In the dark?" Kimo finally spoke up. "Once we get more than fifty feet, we won't be able to see a thing."

"I have torches," Shadi said serenely, pulling long sticks out from beneath his robes and ignoring everyone else's gaping.

"How'd you carry _those_ all this way?" Mokuba asked as Shadi also removed a jar of oil and rudely ignored his question. Ishizu sighed irritably, fingers unconsciously brushing over her Necklace. Although she'd kept it hidden in villages, she'd begun wearing it once they reached the barren desert and refused to tell anyone why.

Shadi's fingers moved swiftly, clutching something of them none of them could see, and suddenly one of the torches was on fire. He handed that to Kimo and lit one for himself off of it. Pegasus didn't seem to be moving; his face was quietly thoughtful, so Ishizu took the third torch and lit it.

Shadi proceeded first into the staircase and Pegasus immediately stumbled after him. "Why are there stairs here? I remember we had to slide down that awful rope last time we entered the underground city."

"There are different entrances," Shadi said in a tone that clearly implied '_duh_,' if he were a rebellious teenager living a few years ago. The corner's of Ishizu's mouth quirked as she followed Pegasus; Mokuba behind her and Kimo bringing up the rear.

"Does this mean that the city you and I first met in was actually _Akuma_?"

"It has been renamed since. Yes, it was what is present-day Akuma."

"So Marik and Bakura chose to build their city in the very same place I received my Millennium Item? With that statue thing that had the placement for the Items and everything?"

"Yes," Shadi said tightly.

"But why?"

"Historical value. Ancient power. The God Cards probably drew them there."

He was getting annoyed, Ishizu observed faintly. Lately, the slightest things irritated him. These were always the slight signs that Shadi felt he was under tremendous pressure.

"Can I hold a torch?"

Ishizu broke off her train of thought and glanced behind her to see Mokuba Kaiba's large, beseeching eyes. "Pleeease?"

She smiled despite herself. "I'm sorry, Mokuba, but I don't think that's a very-"

"No," Shadi interrupted from the front.

She glared at his back a moment, then handed Mokuba the torch. "Be careful with it," she cautioned quietly. "Don't swing it about."

"I won't!" Mokuba said eagerly, taking it in both hands reverently.

Shadi spun around to fix Ishizu with a stern look; she responded with an innocently bland stare. He scowled and swung back around, partly to show his disapproval but mostly to hide his smile.

xXx

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Notes: I took what we learned in the episodes about the two separate places- where Pegasus got the Eye and the tombs Shadi led them to- and had them all connect underground. Pegasus has just realized this.


	23. Chapter 22

Sakakku

Notes: I've been skipping a _lot_ of filler details. I'm going by the assumption that you can piece a lot of plot elements together. It's just that this chapter and the next chapter are really 'filler' chapters, so I can get to the action-packed ones ahead. And I doubt people want to read a lot of filler junk.

x

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Chapter 22

xXx

After a few hours of walking, Pegasus had begun murmuring things like "I _remember_ this!" and "Good Lord, I passed through here…". Mokuba, discovering the downside of holding the torch (it was _heavy_!), had returned it to Ishizu and was wandering in and out of the four adults. A few times, he'd darted ahead of them. He found an immensely tall, smooth, dark door that seemed to be calling to him. Curiously, Mokuba placed both hands on the door, feeling something hot surging under his palms. His face drew nearer.

"Don't do that!"

He jumped back, abruptly breaking contact and losing the growing warmth.

"Mokuba, do not do that," Shadi cautioned. "I once led Pegasus behind that very door."

"That's where we got the tablet for the museum…" Ishizu pondered, tiredly brushing the Millennium Necklace with two fingers.

"That's where I first laid eyes on the Egyptian God Cards," Pegasus murmured, stopping in his tracks and staring with horrified fascination at the door. "That's the tablet with their likeness. That talk about their past. That show the Pharaoh and the Priest- I remember seeing it. I remember taking those pictures… and oh, all the people that died."

"Mister Pegasus?" Kimo touched his elbow.

Pegasus didn't respond. His eyes remained fixed on the cold stone, and he took a step forward.

"Pegasus!" Shadi stopped his swift walk and turned to face him. Ishizu, slightly behind, stared at him, but her eyes were glazed over and Mokuba didn't think she really realized what was going on.

"Mister Pegasus," Kimo said more insistently.

Pegasus still didn't answer, but his head suddenly tilted to the side. "Cecelia…?" he murmured, half-questioning. His eyes slowly focused in on something appearing closer to him, and he stretched his arms our, trying to embrace something none of them could see. Then in the next second it was gone, and he was back to normal.

"Oh… dear," he said, placing a hand on his head. "No one look at that door!"

"I wasn't planning on it," Shadi said dryly.

"What happened?" Kimo and Mokuba asked at the same time; Kimo concerned and Mokuba confused.

"It's just…" Pegasus shook his head ruefully. "Never mind. The power in there still lingers. It was about to draw me in, but Cecelia intervened."

"O-oh," Mokuba said doubtfully, tagging along as they began to move again. He'd given up on chatter; the four of them were all lost in their own thoughts. He chewed on his tongue and let his own mind wander. After a while, and endless more hours of walking, his brain grew as numb as his feet. Shadi would let them stop every few hours, and for some reason when Mokuba woke up he could smell something in the air and his feet felt tingly and new, but after a while his entire body and mind was growing fatigued and ready to collapse.

"We're here," Shadi announced. Unfortunately, 'here' didn't look like anything special and he wasn't stopping anyway. Mokuba picked up the pace all the same, entering the same room Shadi just had.

"Hey! Where _are_ we?"

"This is the place I first got my Millennium Eye," Pegasus said, placing a hand over his glass replacement eye. "Shadi was so kind as to 'put it in'." This was greeted by an undignified snort from Shadi himself.

"I have led you here because this entrance-" Shadi pointed a slim finger at a wide staircase- "Leads to the outside. I cannot say if it has been built over, but years ago when I was here, it came out in a temple. I would doubt Marik and Bakura did anything to that."

"We can use this room as a gathering place," Ishizu said tiredly, and it was only now Mokuba realized just how pale she was. "There are shelves we can use as beds for the injured."

"The injured?" Mokuba and Kimo asked in alarm, and in unison once again. Pegasus appeared troubled, but something seemed to have dawned in Shadi's eyes.

"Ishizu," he asked slowly. "Have you been receiving any visions?"

"Hundreds," she murmured, moving to one of the shelves she'd referred to and easing herself onto it, putting her head in her hands. "I have a lot to tell you- and then… I think I shall sleep…"

"What is it, Ishizu?" Shadi asked, managing to be the first one to her side although Pegasus and Kimo had been standing closer. The three men crowded around her. Mokuba started to walk to them, but something across the room caught his eye. A cold shiver went up his spine, and he ignored the three of them talking.

The structure was pretty tall. Hieroglyphics were carved on every square inch of the surface, creating an elegant and imposing landscape. What caught Mokuba's eye, however, were the smooth impressions in the surface, where placeholders had been removed.

At one point or the other, he'd seen all the Millennium Items. Now his eye roved across the indentations, placing the Items to the correct placements. Ring, Rod, Necklace, Eye, Key, Scales, and the Puzzle went in the center. Tentatively, he reached out a hand and traced the edges of the Puzzle's spot.

"Is this where they came from?" he asked loudly, interrupting the other's conversation.

Shadi looked over. "No…" he said, closing his eyes briefly. "It is only where they were stored throughout the Millennium."

Mokuba started to say something, but Ishizu called him over. Silently, the other three adults left, exiting through the stairway and disappearing through the door. He stared after them, bewildered.

"I've sent them on various missions," she explained. "Shadi, to fetch Odion… Pegasus, to pick up Yami, Yugi, and Mai… Kimo, to get medications for Mai. She is ill, but I know certain herbs that can help and Kimo is least likely to be identified."

"To get Odion, Yami, Yugi, and Mai?" Mokuba asked blankly. She smiled gently at him.

"They are all here- as is your brother."

"Seto?" he asked, straightening up quickly.

"Yes. And I must ask you a favor, Mokuba. I need to stay here and rest. I know it will be safe for you- I have seen it- please, venture into the city and get him."

"Really?" he asked excitedly. "I'll go! I will!"

She patted his arm. "Thank you, Mokuba. Just go straight until you've passed seven streets on your right, then take that right turn. Go one block and wait- Seto and a friend of his shall be coming by shortly."

"A friend of his?" Mokuba asked dubiously. "I don't think he has any friends…"

She laughed softly, for whatever reason, but was already starting to settle herself down. "I really must rest…" she said. "The others will be back soon. Mokuba?"

"Yeah?" He was halfway to the stairs, but turned his head backwards.

"Be safe," she murmured.

"Thanks," he grinned. "I will be."

xXx

"Odion."

Odion's head jerked up. The man with the turban was standing directly in front of him. He hadn't even seen him approach. The man looked vaguely familiar, like he'd seen him long ago…

"I am a friend," Shadi told Odion. "I have been sent by Ishizu. You are to come with me."

"Ishizu!" Odion scrambled to his feet. He'd been sitting, legs stretched out, hands rested in front of him, in the corner of the alley. "You say you were sent by Ishizu?"

"Yes." Shadi eyed the man suspiciously. Ishizu had spoken of Odion fondly. But… of course, she meant it in a strictly 'brotherly' way, didn't she? He didn't see why Odion was so great, anyway. He was a Rare Hunter. He hadn't always stuck by Ishizu.

…Damn. He was just being jealous, wasn't he? This _wasn't_ supposed to happen.

"How can I trust you?" Odion asked in a deep, sad voice. Shadi shrugged. He didn't care if the man didn't want to trust him.

Damn. He was doing it again.

"Come with me. For… Ishizu," he finally said.

xXx

"What are you _whistling_?" Seto asked testily.

Ezra shrugged. "Ominous music?" He shot her a look. "To… lighten the mood?" she offered. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, _you_ need to lighten up," she muttered. "You're getting me nervous."

"What would you rather me do?" he said, raising his eyebrows. She shrugged.

"I don't know… you could try _not_ sulking, glaring, and generally acting like the world's about to fall to pieces."

"We've entered Akuma," Seto growled softly. "We're in the heart of enemy territory. This must be taken seriously."

"I _know_," she said in frustration. "It's just your _attitude_! You can be serious and cautious without being cold and stiff, you know."

"Hmmpf," he grunted, drawing his trenchcoat closer around his frame. She heaved a silent sigh.

"Do you know where you're headed?" she asked after a moment.

"I always know where I'm going," he shot back.

"Okay, let me rephrase that… _where_ are we headed?" Ezra stifled a grin. He, predictably, didn't respond.

"Biiiig brooooother!!!"

The whispered squeal was accompanied by a small blur shooting out from the shadows and latching itself onto Seto's leg. The tall brunette, finally caught unawares, went toppling to the ground. Ezra froze, torn between worry that something was wrong/they were being attacked and the logical part of her brain telling her that the two boys were _hugging_ and that attackers usually didn't call their victims 'big brother' anyway.

"Mokuba," Seto whispered, his voice thick with emotion, standing up and easily scooping this new person up. "I'm so glad you're okay, kiddo."

"I'm great!" he said happily. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"That's good." Seto carefully set Mokuba down. "Because you are _so grounded_ after all this is through. I _know_ I told you to stay home."

Mokuba's mouth fell open. "That's _not_ fair," he declared. "It's not like I came here alone anyway!"

"Oh?" Suddenly, Seto appeared tense. He beckoned for Ezra to join them, backing into the shadows. Anuba followed silently. "Mokuba? You'd better tell me everything."

xXx

"Bring her in, quickly! There are beds in here!"

Hearing Pegasus's voice, Ishizu groggily sat up. She hadn't slept much, but it had been enough to revitalize herself from the trials of the Millennium Necklace.

"Ishizu!" Yugi's voice sounded. Her vision cleared, and she hastily stood up. Yami and Pegasus shuffled by her, carrying Mai Valentine and gently placing her on a shelf. Her skin was pasty; she looked ill.

"Hello," Yami said softly as he tended to Mai. She nodded at him, then looked up at Yugi. He was glancing around the room in wonderment; behind him, Kimo appeared on the stairs. Catching sight of Ishizu and Mai, he hurriedly brushed his way past Yugi to get to them, causing the violet-eyed boy to blink in further surprise.

Yugi had been shocked enough to see _Pegasus_, showing up at the last minute, when they were lost in the middle of Akuma, wondering what to do with Mai, offering them a solution and a place to go. This whole place was almost too much.

"Kimo, give me those herbs," Ishizu said urgently. She snatched them from him, rudely dumping the contents of small leather carrying bag out; she started shredding the leaves up and wadding them into balls. These she placed on Mai's wound, still open.

"These work _wonders_," she assured Yami.

"I think she would have been okay anyway," he said, nodding. "The bite wasn't bad. She just had some light long-term effects… among them, this unconsciousness. Also, her mouth has been foaming slightly…"

"To be expected," Ishizu murmured. "Well, these herbs should get rid of even those."

"So I can't believe all the people that are here," Yugi said, stumbling down the stairs and wandering up to them.

"Not all are back yet," Ishizu said, looking around the room. "And some who are in the city cannot come. And then… there are some here who must leave soon, if our goal is to succeed."

xXx

Half an hour later, Seto shocked them both.

"Ezra, take Mokuba back to Ishizu and Shadi and the others."

"But I don't know the way!" she protested, confused.

"You mean _I_ should take _her_," Mokuba said, scowling at Seto. Kaiba appeared unrattled.

"I mean, Mokuba, lead Ezra to the underground tunnels. Ezra, you watch over Mokuba. Make sure nothing happens to him."

Both of them opened their mouths to say something, and both of them seemed to change their minds and protested something different.

"And where are _you_ going?" Ezra asked pointedly, just as Mokuba piped, "What about you, Big Brother?"

"The Palace, of course," he said smoothly, rising to his feet and watching as the two of them struggled up. "You knew that's where I was headed."

"Actually, no," Ezra muttered, trying to stand although her leg had fallen asleep. "Like you ever told me anything."

Suddenly, her hand was yanked and she was jolted to her feet. Flustered, she gazed up at Seto Kaiba's serious face as he released both her hands and Mokuba's. "I'm trusting you to take care of my little brother," he muttered seriously. "Please. Don't let me down."

Her mouth fell open slightly as he scanned the alleyway, and disappeared without another word. "Well-" she started to say, rubbing her neck.

"My big brother does things like that a lot," Mokuba volunteered. "He likes to make a big impression on people. You're just lucky you're not one of his employees."

She tilted her head to give the smaller boy a fond smile. "Well, since we've never been properly introduced," she said lightly, holding out her hand. Mokuba smiled proudly and shook it. "Hi, Mokuba."

"Hi, Ezra!" he said happily, clutching her hand even after the handshake and giggling as Anuba nudged the back of his leg with her cold nose. "I'll show you the way back to the 'base'. We should hurry there."

He led her through the streets and finally into a temple. She would have liked to look around it- it was very big, ancient, and beautiful- but he seemed anxious. They snuck into a back room and tilted a hidden door aside, and crept down a staircase.

"Hello!" Mokuba greeted everyone, in a loud voice that echoed throughout the room. "We're back!"


	24. Chapter 23

Sakakku

Notes: Like I mentioned last chapter, there's a lot of time-gaps and time-jumping. I hope you can follow things.

There are two Monsters in here you might really wanna look at. I thought they were fascinating, which is why I featured them in here. Check these two website addresses to really flex your imagination later: http: www. pokeorder .com /yuin ofchojbl. html and http: www. pokeorder .com /yuin ofchojye. html , minus the spaces of course. Trust me; it adds a lot to the story.

Those are the main two Monsters you should look at, but you can always use Pokeorder to find the other pictures. I particularly like Manticore of Darkness.

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Chapter 23

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Shadi guided Odion into the temple; they were trailing a smaller boy that had to be Mokuba, but he was with someone neither of them recognized. Shadi didn't want to call out; he said it would be pointless and dangerous, so they waited until the secret door closed behind them. Mokuba's voice was still ringing "We're back" when they entered the room.

"As are we," Shadi said, helping Odion down the stairs.

"Hey!…" Yugi said, the only one who still seemed surprised at all these new arrivals. "Mokuba! Hello! And- Shadi! And… oh…" He was gazing at Odion.

"Sit down, Odion," Ishizu said, rising from Mai's bedside and rushing over to her brother. "Oh, Odion…" She abruptly embraced him, then quickly pulled back and led him to a bed. He still looked exhausted. "Odion…" she said again.

"Ishizu…" Odion closed his eyes, looking pained. "Sister… I have failed you."

"No, Odion," she said determinedly, sitting next to him and clutching his hand. "No."

"What's going on?" Yugi finally blurted, his attention now on Ezra. She was glancing around the room, not recognizing anyone but Yugi. She'd seen him on television as King of Games a long time ago. And then… that taller, darker boy across the room had to be Yami. Seto spoke about him with severe annoyance and grudging respect.

"All right, everyone sit," Ishizu finally said, forcing Odion to lie down. He and Mai rested while the rest of them gathered in the center of the room and, at Ishizu's lead, sat cross-legged. Her eyes traveled the room quickly: "Mokuba? Where is Seto?"

"He…" Mokuba suddenly lost his voice, and Ezra took the initiative.

"Seto went to the palace," she volunteered, twisting her fingers.

"He _what_?" several voices sounded- a white-haired man, a broader man sitting next to him that she thought might have been Maximillion Pegasus, creator of Duel Monsters; Yugi; and Yami. They all appeared distressed.

"He wanted to…" Mokuba spoke up, staring at the ground. He was obviously worried.

"That's… unforeseen," Ishizu said, tapping her fingers together. "But, then again… perhaps I _should_ have guessed he would." Murmuring broke out throughout in the room. "Do not fret," she added, raising her voice as everyone turned to look at her. "I think things will be okay."

Shadi pursed his lips. Everyone in the room was either shaking their heads or wearing a blank look. "We have too much to talk about now," Ishizu said impatiently. "We must discuss the situation, and decide when you, Yami- when you are going into the palace, as Seto Kaiba has just done."

"And Joey Wheeler."

Immediately, everyone turned to look at Odion. He was partially sitting up in 'bed'.

"Like I said…" Ishizu muttered. "We have a lot to talk about."

xXx

He'd practically bullied Yugi into staying behind. But, Yami mused as he silently crept though the city, he had to protect the little one.

_'I promise I'll come back safely, Yugi'._

His hikari's eyes had glared up at him. '_How can you promise something like that? Let me come with you!'_

_'It's too dangerous.'_

'_But that's why I have to come_!'

'_No, Yugi. No.'_

Yugi had stormed around the room for a while, glaring at everyone who bade Yami farewell. But as Yami started to climb the stairs out, looking at Yugi beseechingly, the purple-eyed boy had dashed up after him and flung his arms around his midsection in a good-bye hug. '_Remember what you promised. And- Yami? Don't come back just for me. Come back for the world_.'

Yami started to nod, but Yugi felt the need to elaborate. '_We'll need you, in the end. What do you think will happen after Marik and Bakura are defeated?'_

That thought had been nagging at him ever since he left. What _would_ happen? Could the world just pick things up from where they had started? There was bound to be a whole new power struggle. And Yugi thought he should be around for that.

He was in an odd place. It was a huge, two-story, sprawling home. Giant bushes surrounded the house and most of the yard. The home, however, was mostly isolated. He'd passed through an abandoned road and clumps of scrawny brush to get here; it was in between the main city and the also-isolated palace.

Yami was wishing he'd chosen a different way now. But, of course, it would have taken time. And time wasn't something he could afford to waste. He'd just have to be really careful. Unfortunately, the only way to remain unseen from an upper room of the house was to keep close to the bushes; although those were far too close to the house.

It was a lose-lose situation, either way you looked at it.

A branch cracked up ahead and Yami froze in place. Someone was there. Maybe more than one person. He didn't think they could have heard him; he hadn't made much noise, but he was definitely treading on thin ice now.

"_You idiot!"_

_"It's not my fault that branch was there!"_

_"But it _is_ your fault you didn't look before you stepped!"_

_"You know, you shoved me out of the way so you could look for that woman. It's mostly _your_ fault."_

_"Shut up! I thought I saw something moving!"_

The frantic whispering darted in and out of the light wind. Yami stiffened. Something sounded oddly familiar about those voices. And something they had said…

_"So, hot-shot, what did you see? Find the woman?"_

_"No, blockhead. I think she's gone for good."_

_"That was creepy. I think she was a ghost."_

_"And I think you're an idiot."_

_"Hey! She could have been! I mean, she was practically glowing and all. And who wears dresses like that now anyways? Besides, then she just disappeared. Maybe she was leading us here for a reason."_

_"Yeah, because she knew you'd be dumb enough to follow."_

_"Hey! It was _your_ idea!"_

_"Well, it's not every day you see a ghost. I _had_ to follow."_

_"But you said-"_

_"Shut up! Someone's coming!"_

The door at the big house opened and closed. New voices floated up the lawn. Yami strained, but could barely catch the tail end of their conversation. As for the two other boys in the bushes with him, they had fallen dead silent.

All that Yami heard was some indistinguishable mumbling, but the new voice had actually said, "I still can't believe it." In the faint lamplight close to the house, Yami caught sight of a purple cloak. So. This must be a station for the Rare Hunters.

"Shizuka Kawai," a woman's voice agreed. "Really Serenity Wheeler? She lied to us."

"Can you blame her?" a young man with a buzz-cut chimed in. "She must have known what would happen if we found out who she was."

"Dill, lying to the Rare Hunters- not to speak of Master Marik- yields harsh consequences," the woman said sternly. "It would have been better for the girl to speak the truth from the start."

"So we could lock her up sooner?" Dill grumbled.

Perhaps it was lucky Yami couldn't hear this conversation. All he knew was that the muttering was coming closer to him.

"Dill!" the woman reprimanded.

Dil sighed. "What do you think will happen to her?"

The first man added his opinion back into the conversation. "I think she'll stay a prisoner under Mel for the time being. They don't want to kill Serenity Wheeler just yet. She could prove useful in baiting Joey out of hiding, and perhaps even the Pharaoh himself."

They were coming towards him. Yami tried to step softly backwards, but he'd ended up sandwiched between the three Hunters and the two mysterious voices from before. The Hunters were close enough now that he could make out what they were saying:

"I don't think she deserves to be locked up," Dill said flatly.

"Well, just don't let Marik or Bakura hear you saying that," the woman snapped back.

"Don't worry, I won't." Dill sped up his pace and stomped right into the bushes. This was it. Knowing it was inevitable he'd be caught, Yami whipped out his deck and prepared his deck, splaying it out and letting his fingers guide him to the proper cards.

"What in the name of-" Dill said, astonished, pulling up just short of Yami's outstretched hands. "Hey! Richie and Sophie, get over here!"

"We're right behind you," Sophie said impatiently. "What is it- hey!"

Dill pointed a trembling finger at Yami, which gravitated downward to the gleaming edge of the Millennium Puzzle that was just barely visible in the folds of his cloak. "The Pharaoh!"

"Indeed," Yami said grimly, feeling his hand being tugged toward a card towards the middle. Without hesitation, he drew it, and focused all his attention on Summoning.

"Mirror Force?"

The gleaming bubble shimmered around Yami. He stared at it blankly.

"All-Seeing White Tiger!" Dill said in a sneer, drawing the card from his deck. The tiger appeared, lazily flexing its claws. "Attack!"

The tiger looked at Yami. Yami looked back, letting his fingers wander over the cards. Nothing was calling to him. Slowly, the tiger drew its upper lip over its teeth. Then, with a feral snarl, it leapt.

Just as the beast collided with Mirror Force, the two voices from before picked up again. _"That guy said Yami was over there!"_

_"I heard him, you dolt. I'm standing right here, after all."_

_"Well, didn't you want to save him?"_

_"That's not what I said! I said I wanted to put him in my debt!"_

_"Soo… don't you have to save him? He's being attacked!"_

_"I know. Geez, Raptor, have some patience."_

The Trap card surrounding Yami shattered as the White Tiger hit it. He shielded his eyes with his arm, but nothing hit him. Carefully, he peered over the top. All the debris from the mirror had exploded outward. The tiger lay on the ground. With obvious effort, it lifted its head to glare into Yami's eyes. Pieces of glass were sticking out of its fur at odd angles and blood was starting to leak though. A lump formed in Yami's throat. Suddenly, the tiger had become his friends- had become Joey, or Téa, or Mai, or even Kaiba. Then, his vision warped once more and he saw Yugi in the tiger's place, bleeding from a thousand wounds and knowing it was futile to go on.

His fists clenched involuntarily. Violence was a two-way street. And, unfortunately, to preserve the peace- he had to resort to it.

The All-Seeing White Tiger gave a final, mournful cry, and laid its head down. A soft wind blew, and it disintegrating, returning to the Shadow Realm, where it had come from.

The three Rare Hunters were all staring at its final resting place in a fascinated horror. Dill was the first to move, but he didn't immediately Summon another Monster. Instead, he bowed his head and muttered, "Good luck, Shizuka." Something stirred in Yami; he realized that this was somehow significant, but didn't entirely grasp what the Rare Hunter was saying.

Sophie and Richie, jarred from their daze by his speech, jumped into action. "Ojama Yellow!"

"Ojama Black!" Richie added.

The impish-looking Monsters appeared side by side. In a wicked show of acrobatics, they bounded on top of each other, cackling madly. Yami swallowed over a lump in his throat. All of a sudden, he didn't think he could Summon a Monster. He didn't know why, but he couldn't do it right away. It was too much- after the tiger.

The ojamas suddenly turned to Yami and grinned widely, displaying a disgusting array of teeth. He involuntarily drew back. "Attack!" Sophie commanded, sounding exasperated that the Monsters couldn't figure this out on their own.

Ojama Black suddenly leapt forward, and collided with a new figure. This giant, cartoonish-looking insect regarded it coolly, then slashed twice with its metallic claws. Ojama Black disappeared.

Ojama Yellow, expressing probably Sophie and Richie's feelings, yelped in distress and pranced around.

"Hehehehe," a familiar voice snickered.

As one, Yami and the three Rare Hunters whipped around. Weevil Underwood, looking exceptionally smug, was leaning against a tree, holding a card calmly in his hand. Rex Raptor stood a few feet away from him, looking uncomfortable and rolling his eyes at Weevil.

"Who are _you_ two?" Sophie asked nastily, but still sounded slightly afraid.

"Weevil Underwood, insect duelist extraordinaire!" the blue-haired boy announced.

"Rex Raptor, dino duelist," Rex grumbled. Suddenly he turned to Weevil: "You're so arrogant!"

"Shut up, dino-brain," Weevil snapped. "Hey, Basic Insect! Attack that other Monster!"

The bug obeyed, flicking its wings and dashing forward. Ojama Yellow gave a squeal and a twist, and dodged away. Reflecting Weevil's irritated groan, Basic Insect kept up its attack. Ojama Yellow took to the trees, and Basic Insect pursued it.

"What are you doing here?" Yami asked in high astonishment.

"Saving your pathetic rear," Weevil responded smugly. "Better run along, now, _Pharaoh_. We'll handle things from here."

"Yeah! Come on, Two Headed King Rex and my namesake!" Rex crowed, holding the card aloft. Then he immediately had to jump to the side and duck as the dinosaur was Summoned nearly atop him.

"And _no_ battle is complete without my Insect Princess!" Weevil said, with a look in his eyes that was a bit too dreamy. The green Monster, half-human, half-bug, with a set of butterfly-like wings, appeared, fluttering them slightly.

Richie and Sophie prepared to Summon more of their Monsters, and Dill started to rejoin the fight with Manticore of Darkness.

"Run already," Weevil urged, the sunlight reflecting off his glasses. When Yami hesitated, he made a quick shooing motion with his hands. "Go on!"

"Whatever," Rex muttered. Being closer to Yami, he nudged him in the back with an elbow.

Yami finally stumbled forward, glancing over his shoulder. A muscular beast with wings sped after him, but Insect Princess darted lightly in his way. While the two titans clashed, Yami clutched his cloak around him and escaped into the sands surrounding the palace, a cloud of dust around the battle masking his retreat.

xXx

At about the same time Yami used the magic of the Millennium Puzzle to mask his presence as he crept past the guards and directly into the palace- a trick he'd tested with Shadi only briefly before he left- Weevil and Rex realized that they were about to lose the fight unless they tried something different.

"Okay- uh- I know! Uraby, come on out!" Rex desperately clutched his card and tried to Summon it. Nothing happened. The card barely even glowed.

"Why could I do it before?" he moaned, directing his question at Weevil. Weevil was watching his Insect Princess be battered from all sides with huge eyes.

"I don't know!" he admitted frantically, glancing down at the Neo Bug he held. He, too, had been trying to Summon. What neither of them realized was that it had been the energy of the Puzzle helping them during the early stages of the battle. But now- Yami and the Puzzle were gone-

It probably wouldn't have made a difference in the end, however. The battle had attracted all the Rare Hunters in the house. They began pouring out and into the lawn, adding their own Monsters to the scuffle.

Rex barely had time to see Dill's Manticore of Darkness plow through Insect Princess, sending her flying backward into Weevil and knocking her master unconscious, when a Monster he never saw attacked from behind, lightly striking him across the head in a sensitive spot and sending him collapsing to the ground.

xXx

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Notes: Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black are two in a trio. According to the cards, "It is said that when the three are together, something happens." Does it say what happens? Nooo… Does it say what the third card is? Nooo… ::sigh:: I eventually found out, but decided not to use the effect.


	25. Chapter 24

Sakakku

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Chapter 24

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Ryou was talking with Malik through the window when Kaya entered the room. Yesterday, she'd refused to acknowledge any thanks; and when she entered now she gave him a scornful look before proceeding to ignore him.

"That's Kaya?" Malik whispered, lowering his voice. "Move aside, I've never seen her." Ryou obediently shifted his head, and Malik pressed against the invisible boundary. "She looks like Geoff," Malik said softly, studying what of her face he could see. (Ryou, who had met Geoff the night before, during his long talk with Malik, had also noticed this) "Except her hair is so different." Ryou stole a glance at the multi-colored hair; the brown and red and gold and grey. "She's awfully pretty," Malik continued, and Ryou started. He took a longer glance at Kaya; she was. Her features were soft and her brown eyes were deep. But… "But she looks so sad," Malik finished, echoing Ryou's thoughts. "I wonder if…" his voice broke off. "Close the window," he hissed. Ryou quickly lifted a fist and hit the window; it dissolved into blackness. But he soon hit it again and the picture cleared; he could now see Malik although no one in the other room could see him.

Malik had moved a few feet down the wall and appeared to be sitting and thinking quietly when the door opened. Geoff walked in and quickly began speaking to Malik. He appeared to be disturbed about something and was waving his arms around excitedly.

Ryou waited a few minutes to make sure no Rare Hunters were following Geoff in, then reopened the window. Within a second, Malik and Geoff were right there, looking at him with barely-controlled anxiety.

"Yami's here!" Malik hissed.

"Yami's here? Where?" Ryou blinked.

"In this city! Outside the palace!" Malik drew in a shaky breath. "Geoff's going to help me escape. I'm going to try to meet up with Yami and the others."

"Are you serious?" Ryou asked in a hushed whisper.

"I can get him out," Geoff told him seriously.

Kaya, who had jerked a little when Malik mentioned Geoff, heard his voice. "Geoff?" she asked, breaking away from the wall and hurrying over. Ryou scooted over to make room for her, but she halted a few feet away from the window and flushed. He wondered what could have happened during their last meeting.

"Kaya!" Geoff sounded glad to see her. "Kaya, listen. Get Ryou out of that room and bring him to Malik's door. We'll meet you halfway. Then if you want, you can stay out of the way while I bring them outside. But you need to hurry."

"But…" Kaya's voice trailed off. The window had dissolved without Ryou touching it. She moved forward to touch the wall; it was gone altogether. She supposed Geoff was covering his tracks.

Ryou was looking down; his hair covered his eyes from her sight. He probably didn't think that she'd help him.

She hesitated, thinking of Geoff. He was risking so much to help Malik. Why? Why did he have to put his own life in danger?

Kaya crossed over and stood impatiently at the door. "Well?" she asked when Ryou didn't move. "What are you waiting for? You can't cross unless you're holding my hand."

He looked up at her, eyes large. She bit her lip and refocused her attention at the door, holding out her hand. Without a word, he moved up and grasped her palm; Kaya opened the door easily, without the pain that Ryou had experienced when he went near the knob, and they stepped through.

It was literally stepping through shadows- but it felt like wading through death. Ryou felt shivers go up his spine, and squeezed Kaya's hand before letting go on the opposite side. "Thank you," he said, in a soft whisper, gazing around. All this had been only two feet away from him but he'd never seen it.

"Come on," she whispered, sounding annoyed with him. "Malik's door is only a few feet down this hall- oh!" She skipped back, nearly crashing into him, and Ryou stumbled. "Sssh!" she said, but she no longer sounded angry. Her eyes danced nervously. "There's a Rare Hunter in between your doorways!"

Ryou's eyes widened. "Did he see us?" he whispered, sound barely passing his lips.

"No," she whispered. "I think he's dozing." Cautiously, the two of them edged forward and stuck their heads around the corner.

A few feet passed the sleeping Rare Hunter, Geoff and Malik were doing the same thing. The four of them exchanged helpless glances. Malik took a few steps forward, but the Rare Hunter shifted and grumbled. Geoff caught Malik's arm, shaking his head firmly.

'We'll go around,' Kaya mouthed, pointing down the hallway to illustrate her point. 'Meet you there.'

Geoff nodded reluctantly, and they locked gazes before Kaya turned her head and scurried away. Ryou followed her quickly. "Where are we going?" he whispered when he thought they were far enough from the Rare Hunter.

Kaya's eyes were always darting around, looking for other Rare Hunters. "We're trying to find another hallway," she whispered. "One that connects to wherever Geoff and Malik are so we… so _you_ can go with them."

"Oh," Ryou said, biting his lips. "Th-thank you, Kaya." She stopped walking abruptly, and once again he nearly crashed into her.

"You're welcome," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

He knew what she meant: "It's okay."

Her eyes glistened, but she quickly moved forward again. The two of them made their way down the hallway, growing more and more nervous.

"There are no other hallways!" Ryou said, looking around. "Shouldn't there have been at least one side passage by now?"

"I've never been in this end of the palace," Kaya admitted. "I don't know what's down here… oh. No."

Ryou heard it too: footsteps. He clenched his teeth. "There's nowhere to hide!"

"We could try one of the doors," Kaya said quickly, looking around. There may not have been any side passages, but there _were_ plenty of doors. She crossed over and put her hand on a knob, tugging.

"It's locked."

"I'll try this door," Ryou said, dashing over to the one across the hall. He tried it: "It's locked too."

They moved down the hallway trying doors at light-speed, the footsteps growing louder. Due to the echoes, they'd heard them while the person was still relatively far away, but they were moving closer all the time.

The doors were all locked, and the two were growing frantic. "Ryou, do you think I should just break one down?" Kaya asked.

"Yes," he agreed after a moment of consideration. They were out of options and out of time. "Can you open it quietly?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, already focusing her magic on the door. "That's odd…" she mused. "This one has a magic lock too. I wonder if they all do."

Ryou started to respond, but the door slid smoothly open. The two of them ducked in, and as Ryou pulled the door closed as quickly as he could while still being quiet, he caught a glimpse of the person they'd heard. It was a Rare Hunter; he saw a flash of the trademark purple coat.

"Thank goodness," he heaved, sliding a lock in place and sliding down against the door to settle on the floor. "That was close, Kaya, I actually saw the Rare Hunter."

"Did he see you?" she asked, scanning the room.

"No." Ryou, too, glanced around. "Are we in somebody's chambers?" he asked doubtfully.

"I… think so," Kaya said doubtfully. The room was huge, and fairly sparse. A giant four-poster bed sat in the corner. There were couches along one wall, and a giant table in the middle covered in papers and old scrolls and… weapons. "But who would be living here…" her voice trailed away, and she and Ryou turned to look at each other in unison.

"Oh dear," Ryou said weakly. Across the room, a door opened and his yami stepped through.

"Kaya?" Bakura growled, catching sight of the standing girl first. "What in Ra's name are you doing in here? You-" he stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Ryou, still sitting meekly at the foot of the door. He made the connection fast; Kaya wouldn't have been able to bluff their way out of it. So she didn't try.

"Run!" she yelped, lunging for the lock. Ryou scrambled to his feet, and as soon as he was out of the way, Kaya swung open the door. The two of them dashed through, forgetting about the Rare Hunter until they were on the other side.

"Aah!" Ryou said, colliding with him. He and the Rare Hunter went tumbling to the floor. Kaya whirled around and pressed her hands to the door, trying to lock it solidly. The wood quavered, and Ryou knew Bakura was trying to force his way out. But at the moment, his main concern was with the Rare Hunter.

The Hunter had had the hood pulled low over his eyes and tied tightly, and Ryou used that to his advantage. He went to smack the Rare Hunter, but the man had better reflexes, and caught his fist. "Ouch!" he yelped.

The man under the Rare Hunter cloak blinked. There was no mistaking that British accent. "…Ryou?"

Ryou blinked, freezing. There was no mistaking that Brooklyn accent. "…_Joey_?"

"Ryou!" Joey said happily, releasing his fist and jumping to his feet. "I can't believe it!"

"Joey! What are you doing here?!" Ryou scrambled up as well and flew at his friend. "I'm so glad to see you!"

The door, and the wall around it, exploded. Joey, acting out of reflex, dived for his deck.

A sheet of black covered Ryou, and for a few panicked seconds he thought he was dead. Then he heard Joey breathing heavily beside him, and realized he'd activated a trap card.

Bits of stone rained on the box they were in for a while. When the sound died away, Joey cautiously touched his deck again. The box disappeared, leaving Ryou and Joey standing in the middle of a pile of stone rubble. Part of the wall was missing and Bakura was standing where it used to be. His body was glowing a deep black and he seemed unharmed. Just as the Fairy Box Joey tucked back into his deck had saved the two boys, the magic of his Millennium Items had left Bakura unhurt.

But… what had saved Kaya? Ryou quickly spun around to where she'd been standing last. She was sprawled on her side. Her robes were caked in dust and bits of stone lay around her. A particularly large piece was trapping her leg. Another piece, about the size of Ryou's fist, was lying next to her head. The stone, the floor around it, and Kaya's head were all soaked in blood.

He didn't want to look at her face. He didn't have to.

"My…" Joey began, but stopped and shook his head. He looked at the dead girl a moment. He had no idea who she was, but Ryou had known her, judging by the tears welling up in those large brown eyes. "Ryou," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He stole a glance at Bakura; the black light had faded. Bakura was now simply standing there, gazing with glazed eyes at the rubble.

Joey Wheeler never ran from a fight. But this wasn't the right time.

"Ryou," he said again, more urgently, grasping the boy's arm. "Listen, we need to leave! Before your yami snaps out of it!"

Ryou peered up at him, as if lost, then looked at Bakura again. His eyes widened. "He's fighting it!"

"What?" Joey asked, clueless.

"Joey, leave," Ryou said urgently. "Bakura hasn't seen you, I don't think."

"Well, then, let's go!"

"No," Ryou said quietly, prodding Joey in the back. "There's something wrong with Bakura."

"Well, I knew _that_," Joey snorted.

"He's fighting something within himself," Ryou said. "Some great evil."

Joey looked at Ryou a moment. "If I have to drag you out, buddy, I will."

"No!" Ryou protested, shying away from Joey's arm. "Trust me, Joey! I have to help him! Do it- do it for the world," he pleaded. "Trust me."

Joey squeezed his eyes shut. "Ryou…"

"Go!"

Without looking back, Joey dashed down the hallway; the way Ryou and Kaya had come. Ryou watched him go, fleeting thoughts of the Rare Hunters entering his mind, but Bakura groaned. He focused his attention on his yami: "Bakura, are you okay?" he asked gently. He rushed over as Bakura began to sag. He wasn't the strongest person, but he managed to help Bakura sit on the floor. Soothingly, as a mother would do to a child, Ryou began to stroke his yami's hair. "Come on," he whispered, watching Bakura's face convulse. "Fight it. I believe in you."

xXx

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Notes: It is officially impossible for me to write Ryou and Bakura interaction sanely. (Bakura is fighting the black magic of the God cards, which as you know has completely clouded his judgment.)

By the way, about the fact that it looked like I was hinting at Ryou/Kaya: When someone dies, their life is usually glossed over (I could cite a historical example but have no wish to be murdered in my sleep). Although had Kaya lived, she and Ryou wouldn't have shown anything other than platonic interest in each other, now that she's dead it becomes an abstract possibility, perfect for the romanticizing among us. If you don't pick up on what I mean, that's okay. XD


	26. Chapter 25

Sakakku

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Notes: I hope the first parts of this don't seem rushed. I tried my best. (I also didn't want to bore people)

Aah, about that PG-13 rating? Although it's for language in other parts, it's primarily for violence. Gory violence. I apologize to the squeamish; it's not exactly fun for me to write about either. This is the worst chapter; everything else should be tame if you can get through this. I thought you had remarkably good reactions to Kaya's death… let's see if it's the same after this chapter.

To answer the question of why the 'gang' doesn't seem to be concerned for Ryou and Malik: I guess I showed last chapter that Joey was glad to see Ryou. It's just one of those things that's always in the back of their minds, but never ends up actually being discussed. But they care, don't worry.

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Chapter 25

xXx

Bakura felt dizzy.

He also felt torn in two. One part of him dimly registered his light hugging him, holding his hand; reassuring him. He wanted to thank Ryou. He wanted to break out of the cage that had held him the last few years.

But even as he tried, his vision clouded. A wave of black seemed to wash over, from the edges out; until all he could see were the God Cards. Obelisk.

Slifer.

Ra.

They were calling to him.

x

Ryou watched Bakura anxiously. His yami's eyes began to flutter. "Bakura, are you okay?" he dared to whisper. "Are you… are you _back_?"

"Let me go, little light," Bakura snarled in response.

"No!" Ryou cried, and with a swift motion Bakura threw him off and stood up. In an instant, their positions were reversed. Now Bakura was grabbing Ryou's arm and holding it tightly; Ryou struggled in vain.

Bakura eyed the chaos he'd made, stopping to look briefly at Kaya. "Hmp," he snorted, then began dragging Ryou away. The first door they came to, Bakura shoved open. "Get in there, Ryou, and don't make any trouble," he said, pushing him in roughly. "I've got something to take care of."

Ryou stood alone in the dark. He didn't know which room he was in; but feeling around it was a storage room of sorts. Either way, it was small and cramped, and pitch-black. And there didn't seem to a knob on the inside; he didn't even feel a door. Just stone.

It took him all of five minutes to panic. "_Bakura_!" he shrieked, pounding on the stone. "_Bakura! Anyone! Help!_"

xXx

Bakura and Marik hadn't allowed anyone to go near the God Cards. Their paranoia about them was boundless.

There was a door to the far, far west of the palace. Through the door was a maze of hallways. Choose the right one, and you came to another door. This one was locked with any and all spells Bakura, Marik, and their three Millennium Items could come up with. If the person passing through knew how to undo the spells, they could pass through.

If they didn't, they would be killed instantly.

It was to this wing Bakura came. He passed through the first door, maneuvered through the hallways with ease, and dismantled the spells on the last door. He entered an ancient, dusty room and approached the raised platform in the middle. Carefully lifting the three panes of glass, Bakura removed the God Cards from their sacred rest. The moment he touched them, the queasy feeling he'd had since he exploded the hallway went away. He forgot about Kaya, dismissed the mess, didn't care about Ryou.

He felt…

Powerful.

xXx

"Take this," Bakura said, placing Ra in front of Marik's nose.

Marik's eyebrows shot up. "What is the meaning of this?" he hissed, snatching up the card nonetheless.

"The Pharaoh is here. No sense in taking chances," Bakura shrugged.

"And…?"

Bakura smirked. "And I needed them. You do too, don't you?"

"Yeeess…" Marik said, letting out a breath. Gently, he stroked the Winged Dragon of Ra and sighed in satisfaction.

Bakura tucked Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon into his tunic with great care; Marik didn't miss it. "I notice you have two?" he asked, lifting his eyes.

Bakura shrugged. "I let you have the most powerful of all. Do you wish to switch?"

"No…" Marik said, considering. "No, this is perfect. Between us, we'll crush anyone that stands in our way."

"And I know who we'll crush first," Bakura said, narrowing his eyes.

"Hmm…"

"Come on," Bakura said abruptly. "Let's circle the palace and check up on security. I have a feeling something strange was going on with the Rare Hunters earlier…"

"Do you?" Marik asked, rising.

"Yes…" Bakura mused. "We'll see."

xXx

After leaving Ryou, Joey began dashing through the halls at top speed. The Rare Hunter robes were a little big on him, seeing as they had once belonged to Odion; but it didn't matter. If anyone caught him running like this, no disguise would help him anyway.

Then why was he running? A feeling. And if there was one thing he'd learned in the last year, it was to trust his feelings.

And maybe it wasn't just him, either. He'd recently felt something. Something dark and evil and cold, sweeping over the palace in a rush. Something alive; something powerful.

And combating it was another, subtler feeling. Another sensation of magic. This was a subtle feeling, powerful nonetheless; golden and pure. He shrugged uncomfortably; it felt like Yami. And it made him worried.

So he rushed onward. On his left was a door marked by a series of lines, climbing upward. He hesitated, then pushed the door tentatively.

It swung open easily, revealing a flight of stairs.

Joey paused only a moment before heading up. There was no time to waste and the golden feeling was stronger here. He passed by a series of stencil drawings on the walls of the staircase; Millennium symbols winked at him from all sides. It was oddly comforting to be in here. Even more reassuring was when he reached the top and pushed at the ceiling; it lifted to reveal clear blue sky. Joey climbed onto the roof, breathing deeply; the fresh air felt wonderful and freeing after the closed palace.

He wandered to the edge, cautiously glancing over. The grounds looked a lot different from up here. It was a vast expanse of green, and the wall looked fresh and white. It all seemed so clean, so peaceful and idyllic. He snorted, thinking of the irony.

Someone was moving down below, far to the left. Joey thought for a moment it was a Rare Hunter, but something about the figure was off. If it _was_ a Rare Hunter, they had their hood down. And the cape didn't look so much like a traditional Rare Hunter outfit as a…

A trenchcoat.

He debated calling to Seto Kaiba. But he was afraid of drawing attention not only to himself, but to the brown-haired boy below. He hadn't seen him in a year; he surprised himself by being thrilled to catch sight of Kaiba now. It meant that someone he'd known _before_ was alive and well… and in here. What was Kaiba planning? Why was he out in the _open_ like this? It was dangerous. Unless… Kaiba was betraying Yami.

Scanning the grounds, he caught sight of an odd-looking tree. It was short and low and flat on top. That was why Joey could see what probably wasn't visible to the people below: a human. Hiding in the tree.

Even if his heart hadn't skipped a beat, even if his skin hadn't begun tingling; he could have recognized the hair. His oldest friend, next to Tristan and Yugi and Téa. The world's last hope; Bakura and Marik's greatest foe. The once-Pharaoh, Yami.

_Hiding_ in a _tree_?

xXx

Yami shifted in the tree; this sort of thing was really more up Yugi's alley. But his hikari wasn't here, and he could only hope the boy was safe. He trusted Ishizu and Shadi- even if he hadn't; he hardly had a choice.

He was now confident that the Rare Hunters wouldn't be able to sense his power; he'd been working on masking it. Shadi had seemed doubtful, said he could still feel magic, but Shadi was on his side. Friends he was willing to share with, but enemies would have trouble detecting anything, like the guards he'd walked right past on his way in here.

Unless, of course, they were powerful enemies.

He'd intended to find the God Cards, to get them from inside the palace. He hadn't decided yet whether he would take all three and risk their black magic, or if it would be safe to leave one of them behind. He thought that he might just take Slifer and Ra, but he was hesitant to do that. Perhaps Yugi was right; someone should have accompanied him. Although, of course, he would never allow his hikari to take such a risk. _Where_ was _Kaiba_? For that matter, where was Joey? Odion had guessed that he'd be here. Had he been caught? Had he turned back?

In the next second, he caught sight of Seto Kaiba, strolling across the vast lawn as if he owned it. His heart leapt and sank at once.

He hadn't seen Seto Kaiba in a year; when they parted it had been as foes. Yet he knew instinctively that Kaiba would aid him now; Kaiba would carry the third God Card.

But the problem was, Kaiba was _so_ rash. Even now, it was putting him in danger. Kaiba had no fear, and that was a risk. If the Rare Hunters saw him now…

But, as he found out in the next minute, he had larger problems. He didn't know why Bakura and Marik decided to take a walk around their grounds. At this point, it hardly mattered. They knew he was somewhere nearby immediately; Yami's one gratification was that they were completely taken off guard.

He refused to be hunted down and flushed out. Jumping with ease, he landed on the ground, deck in hand before his feet touched the grass. The All Seeing White Tiger suddenly flashed before his eyes- but he dismissed it. Right now, to fight was to live- and he had to live above all else.

"Well, well, well," Marik drawled.

"Look what we have here," Bakura said, taking a few steps forward slowly. Yami moved ahead to meet the challenge.

"The… '_Pharaoh_'," Marik said, voice dripping with acid. "Finally, we have you."

"We will finally meet, face-to-face, in a Duel," Yami said, folding his arms. "No more of your cowardice. No more pitting my friends against me. It's just you and me, Marik."

"And me," Bakura said, stepping forward with a scowl. "I defeated your friend Seto Kaiba, _Pharaoh_, and don't you forget it."

"_I_ never will," a new voice said.

The three of them whirled around to see Seto Kaiba standing there, arms crossed, permanent scowl on his lips. "I never will," Seto repeated, glaring. "And I'm here to avenge that."

"You'll lose all the same," Bakura said confidently.

"We'll see." Seto swiftly shoved the sleeves of his trenchcoat back. "You and Marik. Me and Yami. We'll win."

"Rare Hunters," Marik commanded, raising his voice so it echoed across the open grounds. "Prepare to Duel!"

"I refuse to Duel these second-raters!" Seto bellowed back. "You cowards!"

"Strategists," Bakura smirked, letting the Rare Hunters at his side move in front of him.

"All right, then," Yami said, drawing a card. He glanced at it briefly: Magician of Black Chaos. Knowing the next card, he pulled Dark Magic Ritual. "I'll start strong!" he called, as the cards began to glow. There was no turning back now.

xXx

Joey watched from the roof as Marik, Bakura, and assorted Rare Hunters approached Yami, who jumped down from the tree at their approach. Seto Kaiba, seeing the events unfold, moved swiftly over.

As Joey stared hopelessly, Rare Hunters began swarming from all over the palace grounds. Yami was the first one to pull off a Summoning, bringing out Magician of Black Chaos. Joey's brows raised; his friend was starting big.

Duel Monsters began appearing. Shapesnatcher. Soul Eater. Kryuel. Dark Dust Spirit. Royal Keeper, Des Lacooda, Inpachi. Warrior Dai Grepher, Frontier Wiseman, Wolf Axewielder. Hysteric Fairy. Spherous Lady. So many…

Kaiba, in typical fashion, pulled out a dragon. Not his usual Blue Eyes; this time he chose Hyozanryu. Joey supposed he was waiting for something big.

The battle started, but Joey quickly refocused his attention. He needed to get down from here, so he could join the Duel and help Yami and Kaiba. They were way outnumbered.

Directly below was a lake. It reached all the way up to the wall of the palace, so if he jumped down he would land safely in water. But… he gulped. It was awfully far.

Of course, this didn't stop him for a second. He dove in headfirst, falling for what seemed like an eternity before plunging into the water.

He floundered to the surface, a little dazed; his head had taken the brunt of the impact, not to mention that his heavy clothes were weighing him down. Gasping for air, he managed to bring his fist above the water, wondering which of his Monsters would be best fit here. Certainly not the Flame Swordsman.

"Alligator Sword!"

The reptilian Monster emerged under Joey, supporting him loosely. Joey coughed and spit out a few mouthfuls of water, regaining his senses.

"Okay," he said finally, looking up. It looked like Yami and Kaiba were winning! "Time for me to join this fight- Rocket Warrior!"

Rocket Warrior, upon being Summoned, immediately took on its invincible mode. The Monster swooped directly into battle, plowing over three of the Rare Hunter's Monsters. One of them, already weakened, disappeared right away. Another one, Wolf Axewielder, was knocked into Hyozanryu, who plunged its horn directly into the Monster's leg. With a howl, Wolf Axewielder disappeared.

"What?" roared several voices at once. Joey, being towed to the shore by Alligator Sword, couldn't help but grin.

xXx

Seto noted coolly that he and Yami had an advantage, but they would have to press it. Even a slight stumble would cause them to lose the Duel, and most likely their lives.

He Summoned a Blue Eyes White Dragon at last, noticing how much _easier_ it was. He had a moment to feel smugly victorious, until he noticed Yami pulling out Dark Magician Girl to join the Magician of Black Chaos and Dark Magician he already had out. The Millennium Puzzle was glowing so brightly Seto couldn't look at it for long, and he realized that the Puzzle was giving him most of the power for the Summonings. Scowling, Seto grabbed Lord of Dragons, intending to use the combination he'd worked on with Duke in the desert.

Out of nowhere, what looked like a missile sped by. Although it passed far away from him, Seto still felt a slight wind when the rocket passed. It shot directly through three of the Rare Hunter's Monsters; one was taken out right away. Hyozanryu ridded the field of a second Monster.

"What?" Seto cried as the missile slowed and spun around, ready for another pass. He saw it briefly: Rocket Warrior. His mind immediately shot back to a year ago, watching Yugi/Yami duel Marik/Malik/Joey.

"Wheeler!" he said sharply, seeing Joey emerge from the right. The fact that he was sopping wet and wearing Rare Hunter robes barely even surprised him.

"_Joey!_" Yami cried, turning from his trio of magicians.

"In the flesh," Joey grinned, winking at his best friend and best rival. "I have to say, guys, I'm _really_ glad to see you. Both of you," he added, raising his eyebrows at Kaiba.

Seto ignored him, clenching his teeth in annoyance. "Flute of Summoning Dragons, help me bring out my two Blue Eyes!" he called, holding the card up. Joey, finally catching on, brought out the Flame Swordsman.

The battle didn't last long. Yami, Joey, and Kaiba were outnumbered, but they were far stronger. Viciously, or perhaps realistically, their Monsters moved in on the Rare Hunters after the Hunter's Monsters were defeated. Unconscious, they could no longer fight against the others. Some of the Rare Hunters needed no prompting from the Dark Magician's staff; they collapsed after exhausting their magic reserves.

Bakura and Marik glared in annoyance at their fallen Rare Hunters. Yami was sweating from exertion; the only Monster he had left was Dark Magician Girl. She was glancing around nervously at the Monsters on either side. To her right was the Flame Swordsman; hovering above him was Rocket Warrior. Joey stood underneath Rocket Warrior, hands on his hips, shoving the Rare Hunter cloak back. On her left, Seto Kaiba stood with his arms crossed; one Blue Eyes and Lord of Summoning Dragons had survived.

"Your Hunters have failed," Yami announced. "It's time to face us."

"Very well, then," Bakura snarled. "We'll defeat you ourselves!" His eyes were wild and black. Black? They had once been brown, just a few shades darker than Ryou's.

"What's wrong with you?" Yami asked in alarm, causing Joey and Kaiba to look at him in astonishment.

"What?" Bakura demanded.

"Something's wrong!" Yami looked from Bakura to Marik, remembering what Shadi and Ishizu had told him. He felt the dark energy around the two literally crackle in the air. "By the Gods…" he breathed, realizing what had happened even before Bakura and Marik brought their three cards out.

"Be crushed by the card you once held!" Bakura roared, directing the comment at Seto. The air grew hot and heavy and the wind whipped at Seto's face; he desperately tried to fight it. "And the same goes for you!" he added, thrusting Slifer the Sky Dragon forward. In the air above Yami, a swirling vortex appeared, kicking up a storm that ripped at the grass. The leaves on the tree that the Pharaoh had been crouching in tore off by the handful.

"And the last and greatest of the three Gods," Marik screamed in triumph, holding up Ra with a sick glee. "Come forth and fight! Fight for us! _KILL_ FOR US!!"

Yami stared up, needing to crane his neck as far back as possible. Obelisk towered over them, and Ra landed on the ground nearby. Everything shook so hard that Joey, caught unprepared, was knocked to his knees. Slifer let out an ear-splitting screech and flapped its powerful wings once, speeding straight up into the sky.

"You are already defeated!" Bakura declared as Obelisk's huge fist came crashing down. It pinned Flame Swordsman and Rocket Warrior together, and the last of Joey's Monsters disappeared with a final anguished cry.

Slifer, diving down, caught up Dark Magician Girl in its first mouth and Lord of Dragons in its second mouth. Yami quickly glanced away, silently apologizing to the Monsters for this end. They deserved better.

The Blue Eyes White Dragon, showing the same determination as its master, launched an attack at Ra. Ra didn't bother to get out of the way; the attack did nothing. However, Ra's counter-attack obliterated the Blue Eyes in a second.

Yami, Joey and Kaiba stood in utter shock. They had barely had time to react before their last defense was wiped away. Joey struggled to his feet, angrily shouting "You jerks!"

"Joey, don't!" Yami tried to say, but it was too late. Annoyed, Slifer lashed its tail once. Once was enough. It whizzed through the air at unbelievable speed, striking Joey in the back. His cards went flying and Joey soared through the air, landing twenty feet away in a crumpled heap. Dazed, Seto guessed that he'd broken his back and probably quite a few limbs. If Joey ever recovered, he'd probably be paralyzed for life. Not that it mattered. It was doubtful Marik and Bakura would let him live that long.

And, judging by the state of things, he and Yami were next.

xXx

Yami stared after Joey, his head swimming. Ignoring the three Gods surrounding him, he started toward his best friend. "What have you done?" he roared at Marik and Bakura. "How dare you? Look at the lives you have ruined! Look at the damage you have called! _HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSEL-_" he was cut off abruptly. Slifer, bored with him, lashed its tail once more. Yami managed to dive out of the way, but it was speeding straight toward Kaiba. For a moment, it looked like Seto would avoid it as well, but the very end of the tail clipped his shoulder and he went sprawling across the grass. Ra chose that moment to launch an attack at the former Pharaoh.

Yami watched the golden beam of light coming towards him; he didn't try to run away. Briefly, his Puzzle lit up and surrounded him with a powerful aura. It wasn't enough.

xXx

The impact was dizzying, the pain was reeling. Through a haze over his eyes, Seto looked up to see Yami, all by himself, holding back the stream of energy Ra had just released. With a deafening shattering sound, Yami's magic broke forever. The God's attack washed over him, obliterating Yami's body. Seto stared up in disbelief; what was left of the Puzzle was a mangled, molten, burned lump of gold. Nothing more. Ever.

Bakura and Marik, no remorse evident, surveyed the field. It was the most depressing thing Seto had ever seen. Rare Hunters lay unconscious, scattered over the lawn. Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra stood among the torn-up grass, eyeing the last resting place of the Pharaoh and the near-dead Joey Wheeler. Joey's cards were scattered across the grass, never again to be used by the boy.

"Excellent," Marik said in satisfaction.

Obelisk slowly swiveled to look at Seto. For the first time in his life, Seto knew fear. Pure, unclouded, distorting fear. After everything he'd been through… he hadn't expected it to end like this.

He scrambled forward, trying to crawl toward one of Wheeler's cards. Obelisk, almost lazily, lifted a foot. Seto lunged forward, brushing two fingers across the edge of the card. It glowed white, but too late.

Obelisk stomped down on Seto, grinding its foot for good measure and effectively ending the life of the former High Priest of Egypt.


	27. Chapter 26

Sakakku

x

x

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Chapter 26

xXx

_Joey soared through the air, landing twenty feet away in a crumpled heap. Dazed, Seto guessed that he'd broken his back and probably quite a few limbs. If Joey ever recovered, he'd probably be paralyzed for life. Not that it mattered. It was doubtful Marik and Bakura would let him live that long…_

_Through a haze over his eyes, Seto looked up to see Yami, all by himself, holding back the stream of energy Ra had just released. With a deafening shattering sound, Yami's magic broke forever. The God's attack washed over him, obliterating Yami's body. Seto stared up in disbelief; what was left of the Puzzle was a mangled, molten, burned lump of gold…_

_He scrambled forward, trying to crawl toward one of Wheeler's cards. Obelisk, almost lazily, lifted a foot. Seto lunged forward, brushing two fingers across the edge of the card. _

_…It glowed white… In his last few seconds of life, Seto could have sworn he heard a ticking noise. Then a deep gong, and the world started to spin- Marik screamed angrily- Bakura lunged at something, and then everything disappeared-_

x

Joey felt the warmth rush over his body. It felt nice. All the pain he'd been experiencing only a moment ago- was gone. No more physical pain; his body had felt nearly snapped in half- and the pain of losing to Marik and Bakura seemed somehow washed away. He was standing on legs that felt a little wobbly but were supporting him fine.

Above him was a brilliant golden sun and a vast stretch of blue sky. It was beautiful. If this was the afterlife, it wasn't so bad.

He walked forward a few feet, to the edge of whatever he was standing on. It was a smooth white plateau, it looked like he could be atop a building of some sort. He peered over the edge: A crystal lake below him, followed by an expanse of bright green grass. He inhaled deeply; he didn't smell anything save the distant scent of the desert.

Circling this area was a wall. It closely resembled the wall around the palace Marik and Bakura resided in.

In fact, this resembled the rooftop of the palace. This was exactly the view he'd had an hour earlier. Carefully studying the lawn below, he spotted the brown hair of Seto Kaiba. The boy was standing still, looking down at something. In the tree was Yami, rising from a crouch to stand upright and gaze around.

This couldn't be right…

xXx

Seto's world went black, then white. Blinking rapidly, things cleared and solidified.

There was the tree Yami was in. There was the palace to his left and the wall to his right. Down was the grass, up was the sky. But where was Obelisk? Where was the pain? Where was the _death_?

His trenchcoat was no longer dirty and torn. His deck was back in its usual place, strapped tightly to his waist.

In his hand he held a card. Not one of his cards. Wheeler's card. The card he'd scrambled for the instant Obelisk wiped his life out.

He stared at Joey's card in disbelief. The dog's dumb luck had pulled through again. This time, it had saved them all.

He held the Time Wizard.

xXx

"Kaiba!" Yami called, albeit softly. He wasn't sure yet where they were. Gracefully, he swung himself down from the tree, pausing to look warily around. No sign of Marik and Bakura, and he was sure he'd see the God Cards if they were anywhere around.

He rushed at Kaiba, although the boy made no move to meet him halfway. Apparently Seto Kaiba couldn't be bothered.

But as Yami neared him, he noticed that Kaiba's face was even paler than when he'd seen him last. "Kaiba?" he asked curiously, wondering what had happened. He had a faint memory of Ra attacking him- a darkgold beam of energy, rushing over his body- the failed defense- the pain and agony and disappointment and fear and dark-

He shuddered. "What happened?" he mused, partially to himself. He didn't expect a response.

But it seemed Kaiba had the answer. A scowl growing on his face, he thrust the Time Wizard in front of Yami's nose. _"This_ happened," he growled.

Yami stared at the Time Wizard, blurry images rushing through his head. "But I thought Joey…" his sentence trailed off, thinking of Joey's broken back.

"_I_ summoned it," Kaiba said shortly, still glaring at him. Yami couldn't understand why he wasn't rejoicing.

"Heeeee-ey!"

Joey was trying to attract their attention without being too loud, but shouting was inevitable. When the two boys looked up at him, he flailed his arms frantically.

Seto was disgusted with himself; his heart had given a quick jump of fear when he saw Wheeler. He'd forgotten the mutt had been wearing Rare Hunter robes.

"Don't come down!" Yami mouthed, although Seto doubted Joey could see him. To illustrate his point, Yami shook his head negatively and made chopping motions with his arms. Then he pointed from himself to Seto, back up to the roof of the palace. Again, Seto was annoyed that Wheeler seemed to comprehend before he did. "We'll come up to you."

Yami turned to Seto, who was deliberately avoiding looking at him. "I'll Summon a creature to take us up there," he said, reaching for his deck and leafing through.

"I can Summon my own Monster," Seto replied snappishly. He didn't want to ride on anything _Yami_ came up with.

Yami gave him an exasperated look, seeing right through him. "It's not an important issue, Kaiba," he growled warningly, "and the fate of the world depends on secrecy."

Seto _swore_ Yami just liked saying that by now. The fate of the world, destiny, heart of the cards, blah blah _blah_. But he reluctantly let Yami come stand next to them, and when Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress was Summoned they flew up to the rooftop.

Joey was pacing back and forth in agitation. "Don't you think Marik and Bakura will sense that?" he demanded the second they touched the roof, then hit his head. "What does it matter?" he bemoaned to himself. "We're dead…"

"You're even dumber than I thought," Seto sneered, ignoring Yami's warning glance. "Look around, Wheeler. We're not dead."

"Then what…" Joey began, but Seto tossed the Time Wizard at him. Seto was annoyed, and it wasn't a gentle toss, but Joey managed to catch it anyway. Turning it over in his hands, he peered at it closely.

"Is this _mine_?"

"Your genius never fails to amaze me," Seto grumbled.

"How'd _you_ get it?"

"I Summoned it," Seto replied, folding his arms. "After _you_ were knocked unconscious."

"My back was broken," Joey corrected, still frowning at the card. "Do you mean…"

"Yes," Yami cut in. "The Time Wizard took us back long enough to escape Marik and Bakura."

"But…" Joey began, confused. "I don't get all this time-travel stuff. Shouldn't the same thing have happened? Where are those two?"

"Time isn't a set thing, Joey," Yami attempted to explain. "It's like… like a maze. Or a tapestry. You might follow one thread, or one road, but there are billions of paths to choose from. Because of the Time Wizard's special ability, we have the option of living out another timeline. Marik and Bakura, this turn around, must have chosen _not_ to venture outside."

"Hmp," Seto grumbled, but didn't argue with him.

Joey stared at the Time Wizard a few seconds longer before replacing it in with the rest of his deck. "Well, I still don't get it," he declared, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "But as long as we're not dead…"

"No," Yami said, grinning faintly. Joey looked at him- this was technically their first real reunion.

"Hey…" he said, smiling. "Hey, old buddy. How've you been?"

Yami considered. "Let me put it this way: I've had better years."

Joey burst out laughing and lunged at Yami, hugging him tightly. "I can't believe we're together again!" he said happily. "Hey, I bet you're wondering why I'm wearing a Rare Hunter cloak!"

"Not really," Yami admitted. "You see, Odion found his way back to Shadi and Ishizu's underground home, where Yugi and Mai and I were."

"You all met up?" Joey asked in surprise, running over a list of people in his mind. "Wow… hey, Serenity was with you, right? She's safe? She'd _better_ be."

Yami bit his lip. He didn't know how Joey had found out, but it hardly mattered. He wasn't sure if he'd take this news well or horribly.

"We got separated," he admitted, all of a sudden feeling that old plunge of guilt. He shouldn't have left her, even if she _had_ been with Tristan and Duke! He should have gone back into that village and sought her out, making sure she was safe! He should have kept her by his side, protecting her- that's what Joey would have wanted. And it was his responsibility, right?

Right?

Yugi's face hovered in his minds eye, repeating the words Yami had never really found reassuring: _'You can't be everywhere. You can't do everything. The most important thing right now is to take care of yourself, because you're the one the world needs. Serenity will be okay, I'm sure of it.'_

"What?" Joey was staring at him, wide-eyed. "Are you serious?" He reached out and grabbed his friend's shoulder, gripping it hard. "My little sister?"

"Calm down, Joey," Yami urged, feeling somewhere inside him that Joey would be justified if he threw Yami off the roof. "She's with Duke and Tristan."

For a second Joey's face cleared, then it darkened again. "Serenity… Why didn't you take care of her?" He looked at Yami, ready to yell, but caught a glimpse of his friend's eyes. For a second, he was pulled inside, spiraling down, sinking deep into Yami's guilt. He glanced away, unable to maintain eye contact.

"I'm sure she's okay," Yami said half-heartedly.

"Yeah…" Joey murmured, his thoughts a million miles away. "Serenity's tougher than she looks."

Even Seto Kaiba thought it would be too rude to snort disagreeably at this point.

xXx

"Excuse me?" Serenity asked politely, wondering what this woman was like.

"What do you want?" Mel grumbled. Serenity was pretty sure Mel was alone- after all, who thought that a blind girl could do anything against even one Rare Hunter? Even Serenity doubted that she could pull this off.

But she was sure going to try. For Mai's sake. For Joey's sake. So that she wouldn't become a simple bargaining chip to be used against Yami and Yugi, the boys who had risked so much to help her and the world.

"Where are you?" Serenity had a pretty good idea, judging by the location of Mel's voice, but she needed to be exact.

"I'm standing off to your right," Mel said in a surly tone, and Serenity adjusted direction, moving slowly forward. "What is it?"

Serenity thought she was right in front of the Rare Hunter now. "My- my side," she said, touching it gently, as if it were sore. Carefully, she slipped her hand into the folds of her robes, pretending that she was rubbing flesh. "It hurts. I think it might be bruised."

"Are you bleeding?" Mel asked in mild interest.

"No…" Serenity closed her fist around the bottle.

"Do you think anything's broken?"

"I doubt it." She gently used her fingernail to pry the lid off the bottle, pausing to take a deep breath before she opened it. It wouldn't do to inhale any of the powerful herbs.

"Then Marik and Bakura won't care," Mel said with finality. Serenity didn't answer; Mel seemed to notice. "What are you doing _now_? Is something else the matter?"

She was lucky; Mel bent her face down to Serenity's. Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel it. Bringing her arm and the bottle out into the open in one sharp motion, Serenity thrust the bottle at Mel. She felt it hit the Rare Hunter's face, smashing the nose, and felt a quick pang of guilt.

"Hey!" Mel shrieked, and Serenity sensed her leaping backwards. The redheaded girl tossed the bottle away from herself, in Mel's general direction, and stepped backwards as well, tentatively breathing.

"What do you think you're d…" By the end of the sentence, Mel's voice trailed off entirely. Serenity heard a muffled thump, as if the woman had slid to the floor, followed by heavy breathing. It was thick breathing, as if the woman were choking on something. Serenity hoped Mel would be okay- despite the woman's status, she didn't want to hurt anyone. She counted on the fact that the sleeping herbs had never harmed her before.

Serenity hesitated before taking the next step. For over a year, she'd worn these bandages. They were a part of her and she'd grown accustomed to her lack of vision. She didn't even know yet if the operation had been successful.

_Joey… I wish you were here, big brother, I need you now. You could lend me your courage._

_Mai… thanks for all your support. You've become closer to me than I ever thought possible in these last few months. You've always taken care of me and I appreciate that._

_Yugi and Yami. I was glad to meet you. The both of you seem so brave; I wish I could be like that._

_Duke and Tristan- thanks, guys. I know you did your best. And I know what you'd want me to do now._

_I know what everyone would want me to do. It's just… I'm so afraid._

_But I have to._

Not wanting her first sight to be the surely-miserable room she was captive in, with the sleeping Rare Hunter, Serenity stumbled over to the window across the room. She was surprised to find that it was open, and she put her hands on the ledge to steady herself for a moment. It was quiet outside; a light and warm breeze fluttered into the room. She took a few deep, slow breaths, and began to unwind the bandages on her eyes.

She kept her lashes closed as she methodically rolled up the bandage and stuck it into the folds of her robes. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes for the first time in _so_ _many_ months.

Her first cue that the operation had been successful was the blinding sunlight that struck her vision. Gasping, she squeezed her eyes shut again, seeing sunspots dancing across her eyelids. She rejoiced in the sensation.

It took her much longer than she expected to adjust. Towards the end, she grew afraid that the Rare Hunter would wake up again. But eventually, her eyes were strong enough for her to look out over the grounds.

A broad, smooth roof stretched about ten feet below the window, ending abruptly to reveal a huge expanse of lawn. A marble white wall encircled the lawn, and beyond was the desert; golden white sand as far as the eye could see. Off to the right was the western border of Akuma; she could see the village line, with the giant palace she was standing in marking the southernmost point of the city.

The sky was bluer than she remembered, bluer than she had ever dreamed. Tears sprung up as she stared straight up, shielding her still-tender eyes from the sun with one hand.

Her first sight of the world in a year. It was perfect. She even forgot she was still a prisoner of Marik and Bakura.

That is, until a resounding roar broke the air, the wall broke apart in a cloud of rubble, and the Red Eyes Black Dragon came smashing through.


	28. Chapter 27

Sakakku

x

Notes: More scene jumping. Also, italics are a flashback, just like in chapter 1. (Wow, that was a long time ago, wasn't it?)

As for the time-travel: Yes, it's supposed to be confusing. Anyway, Kaiba remembers because he was the one who Summoned Time Wizard. Yami and Joey remember because they're his allies (though I tried getting him to admit it. ::cringes:: Take my advice… it's hopeless). Marik, Bakura, and everyone else have forgotten.

x

x

x

Chapter 27

xXx

"Why is this palace so f-cking big?" Malik snarled, stopping to slam his hand against the wall. Unsatisfied, he continued to pound at it until the dust that had accumulated along the upper corners drifted down and landed in his hair. Then he gave a violent roar and shook his head frantically, trying to get it off.

Geoff stared at him in astonishment. This was so unlike the Malik he'd seen. But perhaps he should have realized he acted this way occasionally, from the stories Malik had told him of his past.

x

_"You know, this is all my fault," Malik said conversationally._

_Geoff brushed his fingers along the wall, troubled. Something odd was lurking in there. Hard to say what it was._

_"You can't blame yourself for something _Marik_ did," he told Malik._

_"No, no," Malik shook his head. "It's not like Marik started all this. I did."_

_Geoff's fingers slowed in their tracing until they stopped. He stared at them. "Huh?"_

_"I formed the Rare Hunters," Malik informed him. His tone was forcedly conversational. "I was supposed to be a Tomb-Keeper, awaiting the return of the Pharaoh and guarding the Millennium Rod. But… I don't know. I've never been very patient. And I guess I got greedy. Because I betrayed my sister and my family and broke off. I corrupted Odion and started stealing the God Cards. When I met up with the Pharaoh, I tried three times to defeat him in a Duel and take the Puzzle. But all that happened was that I lost Slifer._

_"So I used the Rod to possess his best friend. Joey Wheeler. I pitted the two of them against each other in a stupid duel, for Slifer, for the Puzzle, and basically for all the power I know now I couldn't control._

_"I won the duel, but lost so much more. The Pharaoh got away, thank the gods. But at the time, I was angry. Furious. So mad, I accidentally unleashed the darkness within myself: Marik._

_"Well, he's a lot like me. Which means, he doesn't like sharing. He was okay ruling side-by-side with Bakura, because they were different types of 'bad'. But like I said, I was a lot like him, and he didn't want me around. So first he locked me away within my own mind. Later, when he figured out how to separate bodies, he did so right away. Then locked me away again, just in here._

_"The best thing anyone ever did for me was to stick me with Ryou Bakura for eleven and a half months. I'd already started to see what was going on, and how it wasn't such a hot idea as I'd always thought. Plus, I noticed the darkness around Marik and Bakura- the different kind of darkness- the God Card darkness. And- well. Let's just say, some of the things they did weren't pretty. Something troubling was starting to prod at my mind. You know- that old, 'Maybe taking over the world and ruining life as everyone knows it isn't such a great idea!' " Malik laughed. Geoff's mouth was slightly open in shock._

_"Anyway.__ I talked with Ryou- there wasn't much else to do. So we talked, and he lectured, and I got angry, and he lectured some more. Then I got really angry, he tried to hide under the bed, we didn't talk for two days until I got bored, and we started to talk again. After a while, his moral views that I used to call sappiness won me over._

_"I'm going to skip all the gushy stuff. Let's just say, I really think I'm a better person. My sister Ishizu would like me now. Odion would be proud. And Ryou is my best friend in the world. I owe him everything. Can you imagine what I'd be like if I didn't know him?" Once again, Marik laughed, but this time with a rather bemused expression on his face. "I wish I could still talk to him."_

x

"Calm down," Geoff urged now. "We're never going to find Kaya and Ryou if we lose it now."

"I think we're never going to find them at all," Malik said, suddenly subdued. He slid down the wall angrily. "This palace is huge! And the hallways are as twisted as Marik's mind! You've spent several weeks here, and you don't even know where we are! We are completely lost!"

The floor he was sitting on began to vibrate. He looked up quizzically at Geoff, but the other boy didn't seem to notice anything. "What?" Geoff asked in reference to Malik's staring.

"Do you feel that rumbling?" Malik asked hesitantly. He was pressed against the floor and the wall, and was therefore very sensitive to their movement. His doubts that Geoff, standing in the center of the hall, could feel it were confirmed when he shook his head.

"I think something odd happened down there," Malik said, pointing vaguely to the left.

"Really?" Geoff shot the wall a glance. The rumbling stopped.

"Yeah. Let's try to get over there," Malik said, rising in a hurry. "It might not be Ryou and Kaya. But then again-"

"I suppose," Geoff said, following Malik. There were no turns left, however, and they wasted additional time trying to find the right pathway that would lead them to the area where Malik had felt the vibrations.

Just as Malik began wondering what exactly he thought he'd find, they noticed a few pebbles farther down the hall. When they rushed to the end and looked right, the pebbles had turned to giant stones scattered carelessly around. Part of the wall and ceiling were missing.

In the middle of the mess was a body.

xXx

Ryou's pounds had slowed to weak thumps on the door when it swung open. "Ryou!"

Ryou stared blankly up, his hand still slowly falling down. It landed on Malik's chest. Malik ignored the fist and grabbed Ryou's arms, dragging him out of the closet.

"Help," Ryou croaked, his voice hoarse.

"Ryou! What were you doing in there! What-" his voice suddenly dropped. "What happened to Kaya?"

Ryou glanced down the hall. Geoff was kneeling over his sister's body, head bowed. Suddenly the nausea in his stomach rose violently and he leaned his head to the side, so he wouldn't throw up on Malik. Luckily, he didn't vomit. But the sickness didn't go away, either.

"I'm-" Malik started awkwardly, but fell silent. Nothing he could say would come out right.

Geoff slowly came up to them and Ryou slowly looked at the other boy in sadness and despair. Geoff's eyes were red. His face was blotchy, as if he'd been crying.

"Your hands are bleeding," Geoff said flatly.

"Wha-" Ryou dazedly brought up his hands to eye level. He'd scraped them raw, pounding on the stone. "Oh. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters."

"Bakura and Marik matter," Malik said firmly. "Remember why we're here in the first place. Yami is outside. Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Ryou asked blankly. Geoff was fishing around in one of his pockets.

"Maybe." Malik didn't finish his sentence. Geoff silently handed Ryou a damp cloth smelling strangely. He patted his hands down with it, and abruptly the blood dried up and his wounds closed. The pain was mostly gone, too. He flexed his hands wonderingly.

"Thanks," he murmured, handing the cloth back to Geoff. Geoff carelessly tossed it over his shoulder.

"We have to go out there. I'd bet my life something's going on." Perhaps Malik hadn't chosen the best words, but both of his companions agreed with the sentiment.

Malik and Ryou had been locked up for the duration of their time spent in this palace, so they didn't notice the suspicious absence of Rare Hunters, especially once Geoff located the main, broad hallway that led to the outside. He kept this knowledge to himself. It was enough that he knew Malik was right- something was going on.

xXx

Mai's thoughts were woozy. She only vaguely remembered being dragged across the desert by Yugi and Yami- how decidedly uncool. Then blessed coldness was placed on her leg, and abruptly all the lingering pain was gone. All that was left was a faint tiredness, but that was quickly fading. She laid on the hard surface under her, trying to piece together what had happened.

A lot of people had gathered here in this cavern. They'd had a conference… then Yami had left, taken off for the palace, stopping only to reassure a frantically worried Yugi. A few hours after that, Ishizu had fallen to her knees, gasping out a vision. Mai remembered the black-haired woman's words:

'_The Pharaoh will not survive without the Millennium Items. The Necklace isn't necessary now… but the Scales and Key must be given to him immediately!_'

After a hasty discussion, Yugi and Ezra had left. Yugi was on the verge of tears. Ezra had brought along the jackal, Anuba. They'd tied up the Millennium Items in a bundle and fastened that to the jackal's back after letting her sniff Yami's cowl. They were hoping Anuba could track Yami down and deliver the Items to him.

She swung her legs off the bed and stood. Her vision momentarily blackened, but quickly cleared. She felt much better.

Those that were left- Mokuba, Pegasus, Kimo, Ishizu, and Shadi- were giving her curious looks. "I'm leaving," she announced. "There's no way I'm going to sit around here and _wait_ for news."

Ishizu shrugged. Her face was lined and weary. "I sense the world falling to pieces," she intoned. "Everything we know is about to change. It doesn't matter anymore. Go, go to the palace. Maybe you can help."

Mai's purple orbs widened. Mokuba looked shocked. The other men looked vaguely grumpy. "I expect Odion will want to leave in a few minutes too," Ishizu said, looking at her brother. "In fact, I know it. In precisely two hours, he will wake up and want to go after Miss Téa Gardner. He still feels responsible for her."

Of course, Ishizu was right. She was always right. But she prayed all that afternoon- after Mai left, after Odion left, after they heard the ruckus coming from the palace- that she'd be wrong about what she saw coming next.

xXx

When Yugi decided to go after Yami, Ezra had insisted on coming with him. When he responded distractedly that she wouldn't be of any help, obviously not intending to be rude, she'd flashed him the Luster Dragon. Across the room, the card had caught Mokuba's attention. Mokuba's eyes grew wide and he stared for a few seconds before ducking his head with a smile on his lips. Yugi had found it pointless to argue, since he knew exactly how Ezra felt; and besides her dragon might be of use to their mission.

Those last few minutes kept flashing through Ezra's head as she dashed after Yugi and Anuba loped easily at her heels. She nervously checked the precious bundle Anuba was carrying every few seconds. She didn't know what they were charging into, not really. All she could do was hope.

But then again, that was all any of them were holding onto, in the end.

xXx

"Here we are," Yugi said. Ezra glanced up, half caught off guard. After running through their strategy multiple times, they'd fallen silent as they dashed through Akuma. Focused on her feet, and on worried thoughts of Seto, she had barely noticed the giant white wall looming closer. She swallowed nervously; it seemed a whole lot bigger than she'd expected. From the look in Yugi's eyes, he hadn't really expected it either.

Following Yugi's lead with the Red Eyes, Ezra Summoned Luster Dragon. She was surprised; it somehow seemed easier. She shot a troubled look at the pack strapped to Anuba, the jackal patiently sitting at her heels. Was she inadvertently tapping into the power of the Millennium Items?

Yugi hesitated a short second. "We'll distract the Hunters with the dragons while Anuba finds Yami?"

"That's the plan," Ezra replied. They had discussed it a hundred times during the frantic sprint over.

"It seems risky…"

Before Ezra had even replied, Yugi spun around. "All right," he called to the Red Eyes, pointing at the wall. "Smash your way through!"

Red Eyes roared; the sound reverberated through the air as the dragon swung its powerful tail at the white marble. Two lashes and it crumbled inward; the dragon charged through headfirst. Joining with a gleeful roar, Luster Dragon stomped through the ruble, bits of stone bouncing off its hard scales.

Wide-eyed, Yugi started a bit, then began cautiously picking his way through the chaos the dragons had left in their path. Ezra followed, and Anuba quickly pulled ahead of them.

It hadn't occurred to either of them to doubt whether Anuba could, in fact, find Yami. Ezra had faith in her jackal's prowess, and Yugi trusted in… well, Yugi trusted. As the jackal bounded off, evading incredulous stares from the Rare Hunters who were focused on the dragons, they could only hope their instincts were right.

Yugi clenched a fist at the Hunters, who were starting to recover from the shock. "We have come for-" he paused only for a fraction of a second. "Téa Gardner!"

Oh yes, a cover story. Téa's name sounded familiar. Ezra vaguely recalled Seto informing her that Téa was imprisoned here; he had been scowling as he did when talking about any of Yami's counterparts.

"You may have come to rescue her, but it is you who will need rescuing," an unpleasant voice sounded. Ezra glanced left to try and find the speaker, but was met with a wall of Duel Monsters. She swallowed nervously; planted her feet firmly into the ground, for all the good that would do; and in the next instant the Monsters attacked.


	29. Chapter 28

Sakakku

x

x

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Chapter 28

xXx

Yami moved with cautious steps to the edge of the roof and peered down. There seemed to be something going on; perhaps it wasn't a good idea to get too close, but he had an odd feeling about the commotion taking place by the front gates.

Slowly, the smaller set of gates swung open, and a group of Rare Hunters marched in. Most of them were centralized around two large bundles, seemingly limp and being dragged across the ground. Two Hunters detached from the main group and moved forward slowly. Yami saw Marik and Bakura emerge from the shadows below him; there must have been a door.

A tall, blonde, and extremely muscular girl was supporting a slightly smaller man with a brown buzz cut. She hefted him on his feet to talk to Marik and Bakura; he wasn't in very good shape. But behind the swollen red face and gashes across his shoulder, Yami recognized one of the Rare Hunters that had attacked him on his way to the palace. A shudder wracked his body. Then that meant- those two limp bundles-

Marik and Bakura moved forward after a brief discussion with the Rare Hunter; the girl began dragging him inside. Marik and Bakura stalked forward, rage vibrating off their entire beings. The Hunters, seemingly nervous, pulled away from the two bodies to reveal Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood. Weevil's trademark glasses had barely survived; they were hanging off one ear and a lens looked cracked. Other than that, he looked fine, except for a light bruise across his right temple. Rex had a gash across his nose and his hair was a mess. Yami's first reaction was to be glad that they were okay, but suddenly his spirits sunk. That wouldn't be the case for long. Marik was already reaching into his belt and pulling out the Millennium Rod.

"I have to help them," Yami said, unable to pull his gaze away.

Joey, standing at his left shoulder, gave a snort. Seto answered coolly, "There's no point in risking your life for those two."

"They saved me before," Yami said in a controlled voice. "I _must_ intervene."

"You're a fool," Seto said. Yami swung around to face him, furious, but was forced to leap back when the air in front of him suddenly swirled. Appearing in a gust of wind was Spear Dragon. Without a second glance at Yami, Seto swung himself onto the dragon and guided it down.

Yami froze a minute, before Joey's voice broke the silence. "That Kaiba. He won't let you do anything first, no matter _what _it is."

That mystery solved, Yami pushed all annoyed thoughts of Kaiba's behavior to the back of his mind. "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" Yami and Joey helped each other clamber onto the back of the blue dragon, and swooped down after Kaiba.

xXx

Serenity was transfixed on the battle. The boy _must_ be Yugi; she could tell by his voice and he was about the same height. She didn't know who the girl was; it didn't seem like anyone she'd met.

"They're playing dirty!" she said in outrage, with reference to the Rare Hunters. They were sending their Monsters around the giant bulk of the dragons, trying to strike Yugi and the girl directly. She sucked in a breath as Yugi fell backwards to avoid an attack and the girl took a light blow on the arm.

Trying to fight the terror rushing through her veins, she climbed onto the roof. She couldn't stay there all day. She only wished that there was some way to help.

It was a long, long way down. She edged forward, trying to find somewhere she could climb down. It was looking doubtful; the roof jutted out with only empty space below.

Her foot slipped on the smooth surface and Serenity shrieked in terror. She lay flat on the roof surface, willing her body to stay put. The sounds of the battle raged around her, but there seemed to be fewer unfamiliar battle cries. The primary noises were that of the dragons. She hoped that meant Yugi and his friend were winning.

She sat up suddenly just in time to see the Red Eyes knock out a final Monster. She didn't know what it was called, but it was big, red, and looked like jelly. It slid backwards, knocked into a Rare Hunter, and disappeared. The Hunter lay in a crumpled pile on the ground.

"Yugi!" she called suddenly, waving her arms in a giant arc above her head. Yugi's head jerked up and he glanced around quickly. "Up here!"

He craned his neck way up and squinted at her a while. She was just about to call down who it was, since it seemed he couldn't tell, when his face lit up.

"Serenity!"

He directed the Red Eyes Black Dragon over. She stared at the top of its head, level with the roof. Was she supposed to actually step onto that? She'd fall off as soon as it moved!

"It'll be okay!" Yugi's voice floated up; he was obviously trying to keep the volume down as much as possible.

In a flash, memories came swirling back. This dragon- it had once been Joey's, hadn't it? Her big brother had lost it, and when Yugi got it back, he had let Yugi keep it. Because of friendship and for protection.

With renewed courage, she crawled onto the head of the dragon. She was clutching tightly to its two horns, but the dragon didn't seem to mind. Excruciatingly slowly, but still too fast for her liking, the dragon lowered its head. With her eyes squeezed tightly closed, she didn't realize they were at ground level until she felt Yugi's hand on her arm.

She slid off, scraping the back of her leg, and stumbled into Yugi. He helped her stand up, and she opened her eyes to see him close-up for the first time.

"Serenity," he said, staring with wide violet eyes into her olive/brown/gray ones. "You can see!"

"Yeah," she said, blushing slightly and looking away. "I…"

"Serenity!" A new, familiar voice that she had heard nearly every day for the past year. "You can see!"

Serenity got her first sight of Mai Valentine, standing behind the girl she'd glimpsed from the rooftop. Her first thought was that Mai was really pretty, and then she was rushing forward to hug the girl who had become her best friend and mentor.

"Mai?! How'd you get here?"

The ginger-haired girl motioned toward the broken-down section of wall. "She came in that way."

"My leg was feeling better, so I decided to come help you guys," Mai said, pulling away from Serenity. Her dark eyes were flashing. "I found where you'd passed by easily enough…"

Yugi smiled at her and hastily introduced her to Ezra. The two of them seemed the most nervous. "Let's go find Anuba," Ezra said, already moving in the direction her jackal had bounded off to.

"Anuba?" Serenity asked as Yugi grasped her hand and began tugging her. She'd become so accustomed, while traveling with him before, to holding his hand that it really didn't register that she no longer needed it; she could see perfectly well so far. Indeed, Mai was probably the only one to notice, and she didn't say anything besides a faint tugging of her lips as she followed them. She instead listened avidly to Yugi's explanation to Serenity, since she hadn't known the full plot before now either.

Ezra was only vaguely listening to Yugi; she was more interested on the distant, faint sounds that grew louder as they hurried along. She could only pray that Anuba had found Yami in time.

xXx

Marik was half-blinded with rage, intent on making those who had helped the Pharaoh pay, when a whirlwind caught him off guard. He and Bakura tumbled back a few feet before the Millennium Ring lit up a furious red and stilled them.

Seto clenched his fists; he hadn't realized that the magic of the Millennium Items could be used to counter the Monster's attacks! He'd been hoping to catch Marik and Bakura by surprise. His dragon couldn't attack a second time until it had rested!

Luckily, Winged Dragon swooped in to try and finish the job. A fireball sped toward Marik and Bakura, but two Rare Hunters frantically sent their Monsters in to intercept the attack.

"_Get them_!" Marik hollered, waving his arms in annoyance at the remaining Hunters. Hastily, they began Summoning their Monsters. Yami called out his Magnet Warriors, choosing not to combine them yet, since they could cover more ground separately. Alpha and Beta plowed through familiar looking Monsters while Gamma covered Winged Dragon as Yami and Joey dismounted; the sense of déjà vu was disconcerting, even if Marik and Bakura didn't seem to recall the warping of time.

Several Monsters Seto recognized as Birdface were attacking him; he had at least four swooping around Spear Dragon. In the confusion, he didn't have time to get off the dragon. It was even hard for him to Summon, because every time his hand inched towards his deck Spear Dragon would be jolted and he'd have to grab on. Eventually, he brought out Vorse Raider, who leapt off and latched onto the neck of a Birdface. The Monster couldn't keep alight, and Seto's beast dragged it to the ground, where it ground its opponent's face into the grass and dirt.

That still didn't solve his immediate problem, however: getting down. Spear Dragon had been on the defensive long enough to attack, and it promptly did so. The ensuing tornado sent the Birdface sprawling, and he quickly looked for an opening.

Across the field, a dark shape. Not a Duel Monster; a jackal. Anuba was bounding happily towards the battle.

He began to tell Spear Dragon to fly over, but the dragon's valiant effort finally gave out. A stream of light came shooting up from the ground; Seto couldn't tell where the attack had come from. But it pierced the dragon's right wing. With a high-pitched shriek, Spear Dragon went tumbling towards the earth. Seto managed to jump aside and out of the way so he wouldn't be crushed by the falling body; looking over his shoulder after he landed safely on the ground he saw various Monsters swarming his faithful dragon. He forced himself to look aside; he had bigger worries.

He was standing next to Wheeler, who seemed tired. Seto supposed he'd overexerted himself with the Summonings- go figure. Anuba dashed between the two of them; she didn't show any inclination to stop, but Seto grabbed at the pack strapped to her back as she ran by. It snapped open, and the bundle fell to the ground. It spilled over to reveal the Millennium Key and the Scales, gleaming brightly in the sun.

Everyone stopped moving. The Rare Hunters froze; the Monsters stopped attacking. Marik and Bakura stared in shock and delight at this little package so conveniently poured into their laps.

Yami broke the silence first: "_KAIBA!_"

Snapping out of his reverie, Seto lunged for the closest item, the Key. Bakura made a motion as if to move forward, but Anuba snarled viscously for the first time that Seto had ever heard her and leapt at him, jaws snapping. Marik swiped at her with the Rod; her body glowed purple and started to fly backward. Yami acted on instinct and saved the animal with his own magic; gold overtook purple and Anuba landed softly on her feet.

The distraction had been enough. With all his strength, Seto picked up the Key and hurled it in a straight, fast line directly at the center of Bakura's forehead. Joey seemed shocked, like he didn't understand what Kaiba was doing, but Seto felt a grim triumph. Right before the Key hit Bakura's head, a black vortex opened. The dark light soon spilled out onto the entire field, absorbing everyone's vision. The only things visible were the Millennium Items, glowing softly. Suddenly, the Millennium Scales flashed white and floated up in the air of their own accord. In one pan was a small, seething mass of light gray fluff. In the other pan was a giant black stone; when Yami stared into it long enough he saw the eyes of the Gods, glaring back at him.

Bakura floated into view, hovering between the evenly-balanced scales. Voices were swimming around him, the only identifiable one Ryou's: _Fight it_!

The black stone slowly disappeared, sinking into the gold metal of the Scales. The black slowly washed away and everything became visible again. Marik was standing still, shell-shocked. All the Duel Monsters had vanished, likely back in the Shadow Realm. The Key clattered to the ground; the Scales seemed never to have moved. Yami, Seto, and Joey drew back hesitantly, then spun around as footsteps resounded behind them.

"Guys!" Yugi said in great relief. He was pulling Serenity along; Ezra and Mai dashed up behind them. "What's-"

"Sssh," Joey said nervously, his face splitting into a grin nonetheless. "Something big's going on."

"Joey Wheeler," Mai said, on the verge of tears. "Don't you tell me to shush." She walked over to him and grasped his hand, pulling him backwards. "You need to see someone-"

"Serenity!"

"Oh, Joey…"

The siblings embraced; Yugi moved forward to greet Yami. The Rare Hunters seemed unsure of what to do, however. Most of them were drawing back, moving away.

As for Bakura, he was on his knees. Gently, he brushed a wisp of white hair from his eyes. When he glanced up, the features on his face were soft and his eyes were brown again.

"You're back," Yami said, in huge relief. Across the lawn, a trio of boys ran out of the palace, banging open the door.

_"BAKURA_!"

"Ryou?" Bakura questioned curiously. Ryou charged straight up to his yami and launched himself at Bakura, starting to cry.

"Are you okay too?" Malik asked eagerly at his yami. His companion, a short brown-haired boy, hung back.

Slowly, with a terrible glare, Marik swung around. Malik involuntarily stepped back. Joey broke away from Serenity to move protectively in front of her; Mai stood next to him. Yami strode forward quickly; Yugi hopped back to hold Serenity's hand reassuringly.

Marik wasn't saying anything, but it felt as if he were screaming anyway. Shadows gathered around his figure. Yami began to say something, and that might have been a trigger. In what looked like an explosion but was soundless, the shadows surged outwards, enveloping everyone in the vicinity in blackness.


	30. Chapter 29

Sakakku

x

Notes: I offer NO promise that the quotes I used from the episodes will be accurate. In fact, several times I intentionally changed them. The overall themes, however, are the same.

Um… people knew this was going to be JoeyMai, right? That was practically the only couple I _knew_ was going to be consistent, because I've had this chapter planned from the beginning.

This is a reposting of the chapter. I can now guarantee that the scene between Joey and Mai when they first met is accurate. I argued fiercely against my family getting DVR, but it did come in handy. When the episode was finally on, I watched it over and over and transcribed furiously. ::wide grin:: It's better than I remember… ::sigh:: But Joey's a moron.

x

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Chapter 29

xXx

Téa shifted restlessly. Ever since her recapture, she'd been placed in a different room, a much less welcoming one (not that she'd particularly enjoyed the last one). It was small, dark, contained only a cot, and lit only by a single small window. There was no chance of escaping by that- not that she hadn't tried. But it was too high up, first of all, and anyway it was too tiny for even her head.

But she'd been hearing the weirdest noises.

Shivering, she nudged the cot over with her foot until it was positioned under the window and hopped up. If she stood on her tiptoes, she could see the very top of the wall.

Except… her eyes widened. The wall wasn't there anymore! It had been replaced by a giant dark bubble, reminiscent of the one Pegasus had created when he dueled Yugi! She tried desperately to see some more, but nothing was moving. Growling in frustration, she dropped down from the bed and leaned against the door, pressing her ear against the cold stone, trying futilely to hear _anything_ that would tell her how her friends were.

xXx

Ishizu's eyes went completely blank. Shoulders rigid, her mouth opened automatically, moving in shapes that didn't quite seem to correspond with the words.

"Ishizu!" Shadi said urgently, grasping her arms.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come out here," Pegasus said worriedly. Mokuba forgot all past wariness of Kimo and tried to shrink back under the older man's coat.

They were standing on the steps of the temple, having emerged from the hidden underground area. They were the only five left- they had traveled together all the way to Akuma, met up with most of their long-sought friends, only to have the group disperse once again. Now everyone was in the palace, with the exception of Odion who wouldn't have made it there yet. All the five could do was trust to fate and hope that their friends could band together and fight the evil lurking in Marik and Bakura.

Unfortunately, when they stepped outside, they saw that the whole of the palace was coated with a seething black mass. Their friends and family were doing battle in there- inside the shadows. Pegasus himself had created one of these bubbles- a secluded area of the Shadow Realm, brought to this world but impenetrable from the outside.

"Seto's stuck in there?" Mokuba had asked in a quivery voice, and then Ishizu's face had gone blank and she'd started speaking.

_"Those who were present when the shadows erupted are trapped within their own minds_," she said clearly if not loudly. _"To free themselves from the shadows, they will have to come to terms with WHO THEY ARE."_

_WHO THEY ARE_

WHO…

THEY…

ARE…

Joey looked around, startled. He'd clearly heard a voice, slicing through the swirling darkness. "Come to terms with who I am?" he wondered aloud. Something brushed against his shirtsleeve, and he turned to see a deathly pale Mai Valentine.

"Mai!" he said suddenly, moving as if to hug her, but abruptly the mist parted beneath his feet. He and Mai looked down at the same time and saw a scene that was, though entirely unexpected, strangely familiar.

_"You think me losing my starchips is funny, Joey Wheeler?" Mai screeched, stamping her booted foot. "Those are mine! Give them back!" She reached out angrily towards his fist, and their hands collided in midair. Palm to palm, they froze, until Joey broke the silence._

_"Of course they're yours, Mai," he said, pushing the small chips into her hand and, reluctantly it seemed, withdrawing his own hand._

_Mai stared at the starchips, then up at the disheveled blonde boy. "R-really, Joey?"_

"What on earth?" Mai wondered aloud, but the clouds were already shifting.

_Joey moved slightly awkwardly in the over-large Rare Hunter robes. He was lurking in a small alcove right before a door that would lead to the palace, shuffling his feet on the edge of the grass._

_"Man, Ishizu's going to kill me…" he moaned, but nevertheless carefully disentangled Bob from his loosely constructed 'pocket'._

"Where are we?"

"This is one of my memories," Joey said nervously. "D'you think we're trapped in our own minds?"

_"Bob, my man," Joey said, placing the lizard on the ground and patting his head. "Wait for me, okay? Or, if it looks like I'm gonna die or am otherwise occupied, find your way out. It's just that I can't take you in with me. I don't know what's going to happen in there."_

Joey hung his head. "Bob's probably still where I left him," he said. "When we get out of here, I'll have to remember to go back for him."

"I think we have slightly bigger problems, Joey Wheeler," Mai said in a voice that was slightly bordering on hysteria. "How do you know we're going to get out of here at all?"

_"Don't look at me like that!" Joey put his hands on his hips and gave Bob a stern look. "It's not going to be a very pleasant time in there. You're much safer out here. Just- don't tell Ishizu, okay? I'll get you back soon and she'll never have to know."_

"Did you hear a voice when we first got here?" Joey asked, trying to be practical. It wasn't a skill that came easily to him, unfortunately…

"Come to think of it, I did," she said, closing her eyes and trying to remember. "It said something like we have to come to terms with 'who we are'."

"Okay," he said, his voice growing excited. "So once we do that, maybe this weird Shadow-world will go away and we'll be back!"

"It sounds like that…" Mai said slowly.

"Yeah. So, uh… how do we come to terms with who we are?"

The ground shifted again, and new clouds of mist rolled in.

_The small child gazed out the window. It was a beautiful, sad sight: The golden-haired girl was dressed in a lacy blue dress, and her loveliness was apparent even at the young age. But her large violet eyes were filled with tears as she stood on a huge, empty, unfriendly landing on the second floor of a forbidding mansion. She pressed her small hands to the glass of the picture-window and gazed out at the gray landscape; it was raining._

"Is that you?" Joey asked, his voice unexpectedly soft.

Mai felt her throat clench up. This was a memory she'd tried to repress, this along with a thousand other times when she'd been alone and afraid. It was a past long gone; she'd outgrown that stage. For a time she'd survived on her own, and then her façade had disappeared entirely. It had started when she met Yugi and Joey and the others, and living with Serenity had reformed her completely. She was no longer a lonely child; she was no longer a tough teenager pretending not to be lonely. But just because she'd opened herself up to new friends didn't mean she had to relive the past!

_"Will Mother and Father be at dinner tonight?"_

_The elderly woman, dressed in white and black servant's clothes, was gently combing Mai's hair. Mai's question caused her to falter for a moment, however._

_"I don't think so, dear. I believe that they are eating with some of your father's friends."_

_"Oh." She stared determinedly straight ahead._

_"I know they'd rather be home with you, Mai darling-"_

_"No they wouldn't. It's okay."_

Joey reached out and touched her arm. She repressed the urge to shake him violently away, clenching her teeth.

"Where are your parents now?"

"No idea," she responded flatly. "I lost contact with them ages ago. After I got my first job, I didn't _need_ them for anything."

His silence disconcerted her, especially since this was _Joey_.

Under them, the clouds were parting to reveal another scene from their past, one she didn't recognize right away, because she hadn't paid much attention to it the first time.

_"Well, what do we have here?" Mai asked succulently._

_"Wow…" Joey breathed, staring at her with huge eyes._

_"So, you're the Yugi kid everybody's talking about?" Mai questioned sweetly._

_"Wa-hoo, check it out!" Joey whistled, like an idiot._

_"But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba! You're famous, you know," she said, leaning right over Yugi._

_"Thanks very much I… think," Yugi said in a rush, blushing furiously._

_"Hey, miss, I'm a really good friend of the famous Yugi, the master duelist! In fact,-" Joey began in an official tone, betrayed by his dopey smile, but Mai cut him off._

_"Look, you're either a champ or a chump." Addressing Yugi, she said, "Cut this guy loose. He's fashion-challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games."_

_She sauntered away, and Joey watched her go with the same star-stricken big eyes. "Please, crush me…" he snickered._

_Mai shot him a disparaging look over her shoulder. "I'll crush you all eventually," she said with great certainty, a hint of a smile upon her lips. "The name's Mai." Then she walked away without another word._

"I don't remember that," Joey said, his face burning.

She laughed aloud, relaxing after the previous painful image. "I do now, but just barely. It was when we first met."

"I figured," he said in a strangled voice, his face still a firey shade.

_"Stop your crying, Joey Wheeler," Mai commanded imperiously. "You look like a big baby."_

_"I'm not crying," Joey lied defensively. "I've just got something stuck in my eye."_

_Mai watched him for a moment, then sighed. "Here, take this," she said, extending the handkerchief. Joey stared in wonderment as it parted slightly, revealing her tournament card._

"Now, that, I remember," Joey said quietly, watching the scene re-unfold. "You saved my life right there."

"It wasn't a big deal," she muttered, embarrassed.

Things swirled around them and a chill passed through the area. Mai squinted through the fog; it was thicker than before. Then her mouth parted in amazement at the new scene she saw.

_Joey sat alone by Mai's bedside. The blonde girl was lying, unconscious, in just her underclothes under the sheets. She was breathing peacefully, but a certain dullness was set over her features, a certain lifelessness._

_Joey's eyes were hidden from view. His head was bowed low. He didn't say anything, just sat there for an eternity, watching Mai._

_Finally, he broke the silence._

_"I swear to you, Mai… I will save you."_

Joey and Mai exchanged pale, fearful glances. "I know that, logistically, if I were unconscious I wouldn't remember this," Mai whispered. "But I _really_ don't remember it at _all_."

"Neither do I," Joey said slowly, shaking his head. "You don't think it's… the future, do you?" he asked anxiously.

Mai felt a stab of fear in her heart. "I hope not."

"It is not your future."

Joey and Mai whirled around. A woman was walking- or was she floating?- towards them through the mist.

"It is not your future," she repeated. "It is an alternate timeline."

"What happened?" Mai wondered aloud.

The woman's pretty face darkened. "You were banished to the Shadow Realm," she said, and Mai gasped. "By Marik."

"That's an alternate timeline?" Joey demanded, and the woman nodded. "Man, we were screwed even in that universe," he ground out, pounding his fist into his open palm.

"Who are you?" he suddenly asked, noticing that her features looked familiar. The second the question was out, however, he realized the answer.

The woman smiled sadly. "You don't know?"

He took in her blonde curls, her slender figure, her blue eyes. "Cecelia."

She nodded, then a light wind blew by and dissipated her figure. Mai drew back in astonishment.

They didn't speak for a while. Slowly, their eyes drifted back to the scene still playing out under them: Joey, sitting studiously by Mai's bedside.

_"I WILL save you!" he shouted suddenly, jumping up. For the first time, they could see his face. It was lined with a thousand worries, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but there was also something deeper burning. His amber eyes blazed with a furious passion._

Joey started slightly.

"It looks…" Mai began, her eyes open in wonderment.

"What?" he asked quickly, turning to her.

"It looks…" she cast her eyes downward. Then, reluctantly, her gaze shifted back to the scene. "It looks like you love me," she breathed, almost against her will.

Joey was silent. Then slowly, he edged towards her. She turned to face him, staring directly in his eyes, and saw something of the passion she'd observed in the vision.

And slowly, slowly- so slowly- he put his arms around her, seeming relieved when she didn't shy away. She automatically tilted her head back, faintly registering that he was indeed slightly taller than her. But that was okay. Everything was okay as their lips met, and the shadows around them melted back into the blue skies and sunshine and green grass of the world they'd just left, except that there was a huge seething mass of shadows just off to their right.


	31. Chapter 30

Sakakku

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Notes: Marik was the one who created the Shadow-ball, as I call it, but it wasn't entirely of his own will. If you reread the last chapter, it was an involuntary reaction triggered by his anger.

I have re-uploaded all the earlier chapters, deleting unnecessary author's notes, fixing random mistakes, and changing the paragraph breaks to this uniform style. I _seriously_ hope it works this time.

Wow, was it just me or did YuGiOh: The Movie totally support this story with the Summonings? Not to mention the Millennium Puzzle, which will come up in a few chapters. Awesome!

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Chapter 30

xXx

"Where are we?" Serenity wondered aloud.

Yugi glanced from side to side, up and down.

"Someplace big, dark, gloomy, full of shadows, and we can't get out until we 'come to terms with ourself', whatever that means," he recited, shrugging. When she looked at him doubtfully, he broke into a grin.

"We'll just have to see what comes up and make the best of it," Yugi shrugged.

" 'See'," she repeated, smiling. "I can finally see again." She glanced around the darkness: "Although I must admit, this isn't what I usually dreamed about," she quoted ironically.

Suddenly the darkness rolled away. She and Yugi- they were still holding hands, she dimly realized- were hovering above a beach. A broad expanse of whitegold sand stretched out as far as they could see in either direction. The sea was glassy and green, and the sky glimmered brilliant blue above it. A seagull swooped by, followed by a hundred more birds wheeling amidst the warm air. Out in the distance, a dolphin broke the surface of the water, floating in a graceful arc before sliding seamlessly back into the sea. Two laughing children splashed in the surf, chasing each other in and out of the waves.

While Serenity stared, open-mouthed, Yugi started laughing. "Is this more what you dreamed about?" he asked teasingly.

"Now that you mention it…" she said slowly. "It's _exactly_ what I dreamed about. This is so familiar… it's almost like a-"

As she said "memory", abruptly the focus of the vision zoomed in closer and the two smiling children came into sharp focus. Serenity gave an audible gasp, and Yugi's grip on her hand tightened.

_"Got you, big brother!"__ Serenity cried ecstatically as she splashed a blonde boy with boyish, laughing features._

_"Hey! Hey! I give, I give!" Joey protested as he mockingly held his hands up. When she hesitated, he scooped up water and threw it onto her face and took off running through the surf, laughing hysterically._

_"Jo-oey!"__ Serenity hollered, chasing after him._

"I think I get it now," Yugi said suddenly, his face lighting up. "We're going to revisit things from our past that had an effect on who we are today. So- you know- we can come to terms with ourself."

"Oh," Serenity said uncertainly, smiling down on the scene. "I guess I understand."

As if on cue, the mist swirled again. A younger Serenity and Joey, still, walking together hand-in-hand. Yugi had to smile at the sight: both children wore backpacks and a serious expression.

"My first day of school ever," Serenity explained fondly. "That was when mom and dad were together, and Joey and I went to the same school. He brought me that first day, all by himself, and showed me the ropes."

Yugi grinned. "Cute-"

_"Hey, midget," Joey leered down_.

"Whoa!" the two cried in unison, taking an involuntary leap back into space. Joey's face was huge! And that horrible, curved smile- it was far from pretty.

_Joey reached a giant hand out and flicked._

Yugi and Serenity ducked, but abruptly the scene pulled back. Joey was now normal sized, and they saw the person crouching in front of him.

_"That hurt!" Yugi protested childishly._

_Tristan let out a guffaw, standing behind Joey with his arms crossed._

_"Step aside," Joey commanded, flicking Yugi in the forehead again._

_"I'm not in your way!" Yugi protested, foolishly. Joey simply rolled his eyes and barreled forward, shoving Yugi out of the way with his shoulders. Yugi stumbled, nearly fell, but caught himself against the wall just in time. He rubbed his arm absently while he watched Joey and Tristan saunter away, his purple eyes full of sadness and pity._

Serenity flinched. Yugi swallowed hard. "Serenity, that was a long time ago-"

_"Ooh, what's this?" Joey asked gleefully, snatching up a piece of the puzzle. Yugi let out a cry._

_"My Millennium Puzzle!__ Joey, that's the last piece I need, I'm almost done, please give it back-"_

_"What's it made of?" Joey asked casually, inspecting it. "Is this gold?"_

_Yugi started to answer, but Joey snorted. "Of course not," he declared, tossing it up in the air and catching it again. "It's a cheap copy. It's worthless." With that, he flicked it lightly into the water as Yugi cried out in anguish._

_"No! My Puzzle!" _

"Joey?" Serenity asked dully.

"He didn't mean it," Yugi said quickly.

"No, Yugi," she said, releasing his hand and swiping at his eyes. "I've had people tell me how great my big brother was for a long time. Now that I've seen the truth, I don't want to hear excuses."

The mist rolled aside again, and everything grew cold.

xXx

Ezra tumbled haphazardly from the black fog, nearly tripping over Anuba. The jackal whined in greeting and reared up to lick her face.

"Hey, girl," she said, brushing her hair from her eyes and looking around. Mai and Joey were staring at the cloud, looking frightened.

"Ezra," Mai spoke. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Probably not more than you do," she said grimly, and something hit her back, nearly knocking her over again. "Hey!"

"Sorry," Geoff apologized, looking windswept. "It's horrible in there."

"Are you guys okay?" Joey asked, coming up. He shot a look at Geoff: "Who are you? You're not a Hunter, are you?"

"No…" Geoff said slowly. "I'm Malik's friend."

"Hmm," Joey grunted, unimpressed.

"Is there anything we can do?" Mai asked, coming forward.

"Nothing," Geoff guessed.

"When did Anuba get out?" Ezra asked absently, bending over to scratch the jackal's ears.

Joey glanced over. "She was already here when we- Mai and I- got out."

"I wonder if the jackal had to come to terms with herself," Mai mused, staring at Anuba. Ezra smiled.

"Maybe she already knew."

"Unlike everyone else in there," Joey cut in, upset, gesturing at the seething mass.

xXx

All Yugi could hear were faint voices in the background. Everything was black, but black as he'd never known it. It was darker than the darkest room, the darkest night, the darkest bottom-of-the-ocean, the darkest nightmare. He spun in a circle frantically, momentarily forgetting everything- the light, his identity, Serenity, his _name_-

"This was what it was like when I was blind," Serenity's voice cut through the darkness flatly.

Yugi gazed around in horror, completely losing sight of his bearings. He could be upside-down, he could have drifted miles away, he could be floating straight into the jaws of death-

'_Get a grip_,' he mentally scolded himself.

The voices were growing louder, but he dismissed them. The important thing was to talk to Serenity. She was having an awfully rough time of it.

"You're not blind anymore," he reminded her. "You're not lost anymore. You were never lost, because you had _us_."

"You?"

"Us. Your friends." Yugi started to move forward, his arms waving, trying to find her. "Your brother."

"My brother isn't the person I thought he was," Serenity said quietly.

"Don't you remember-"

"All my memories were from years and years ago. I didn't really know him, only what people told me."

"People told you good things, though," Yugi said desperately. He was trying to find her by the sound of her voice, but this mist was playing tricks with the acoustics.

"They didn't want me to feel bad," Serenity said quietly.

"No! They told you these things because they were true!" he lunged forward, encountered nothing. "Serenity, your brother is a human being. He struggled to find his way. He lost it for a while- but now he's all the better for it! You can't hold people's past mistakes against them!"

"He was _hurting_ you," she said, her voice full of pain. "How did you ever forgive him?"

_"I'll get your cards, Yugi!" Joey cried valiantly, diving off the ship into the ice-cold water…_

_"I'll get the Puzzle," Joey said quietly, bowing his head, his eyes full of shame and regret…_

_He emerged from his last desperate dive, sopping wet, but clutching the tiny gold piece…_

_"I want to help you," Joey said, staring at the clouds, a breeze ruffling his golden hair. "You're my best buddy, Yugi."…_

_"It's true!" He clenched his fists. "You and I'll whoop this Malik creep together!"…_

_"Yugi!"__ Heedlessly, Joey rushed into the burning warehouse, Tristan on his heels. He recklessly ducked a burning timber and continued his search for his best friend…_

The light was on again. Yugi looked to his left, saw Serenity standing right beside him. He had a feeling she'd been beside him this whole time.

"Because he's made up for his past sins a thousand times over," Yugi said quietly. "You don't know what he went through at Duelist Kingdom…"

She was staring at these new scenes of Joey wide-eyed, her hazel orbs filling with tears. The warehouse still burned merrily under them. Vision-Joey reached an unconscious Yugi and grabbed him, using all his strength to support him.

"Besides." Yugi touched her hand again. "Sometimes the pain we have to go through makes us stronger people."

"Like my eyes," she said quietly, reaching up to touch her face gently.

"Like your eyes," he clarified.

_"Listen, dino-brain," Joey said, eyes blazing as he faced down Rex Raptor. "I'm dueling for my little sister- so there's no way I'm going to lose!"_

_"I duel for my sister Serenity!" Joey clarified to a stunned Bandit Keith._

_"Serenity!" Joey gasped, staring at the photograph Tristan had just thrown him. He then proceeded to attack Pumpkin King with his Red-Eyes…_

_"…and I'm dueling for my sister!" Joey vehemently declared to a surprised Mai Valentine._

"Your brother loves you. A lot," Yugi said unnecessarily.

_Joey held Serenity's hand as she was wheeled away to the operating room…_

Serenity's brow furrowed. "I never saw that," she said, peering closely. "I had the bandages on at the time."

"The shadows are playing tricks on us," Yugi murmured humorlessly.

"What happened to Joey?" she asked in horror. "His face is all beat up!" Not only that, she noticed, but his clothes were torn and dirty.

"He never told you?" Yugi wondered aloud. "He was on his way to see you in the hospital when a bunch of Rare Hunters stopped him and used marked cards to defeat him in a duel. Then they tossed him around, took his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and left him there."

"He never told me why he was late," she said, reeling back. "I never knew…"

_"Joey gave me courage," Serenity said quietly to a small boy sitting on the end of her hospital bed._

"Listen," Yugi said suddenly. "Joey might have given you courage. But you haven't forgotten about what's in _you_, right?"

"I don't know what you mean," Serenity said hesitantly.

_She pulled her bandages off, the Rare Hunter lying unconscious behind her._

Stifling an inappropriate snort of laughter at the unconscious Hunter and resisting his urge to ask what happened, Yugi gestured. "See?"

"I wasn't alone there," Serenity whispered. "You were all with me."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say." He bit his lip. "You're never alone, Serenity. But you _are_ strong."

_She got her first glimpse of the sunshine…_

_She climbed onto the roof, legs shaking slightly…_

_She stepped onto the great head of the Red Eyes Black Dragon…_

Serenity turned to stare at Yugi, her eyes filled with something like wonder, but before she could say anything she slowly disappeared.

"She's okay," Yugi sighed in satisfaction, turning back to the mist. It was rolling faster now, showing him glimpses of his past. Mostly long talks with Grandpa, playing in the park with Joey, working on homework with Téa…

"So you want me to come to terms with myself," he questioned. The mist rolled happily.

"Let's see…" he thought. His own grinning face flashed into view, slapping hands with Yami. "Well, I'm Yugi Moto," he said, shrugging. "What else do you want to know?"

The mist appeared satisfied, for in the next second he was gone.

xXx

"It wasn't your fault," Ryou tried to tell them. Bakura and Malik weren't listening. The both of them sat cross-legged, head buried in their hands, ignoring the scenes of blood and hate playing below them. Ryou had to admit, he'd like to be ignoring them as well.

"Neither of you were in your right minds!" he protested. "You have to put it behind you!"

Nothing.

"You can't put it behind you by ignoring it," Ryou reasoned. "You have to put it behind you by coming to terms with it!"

Coming to terms with it… Those were the exact words that had echoed when they'd first arrived in this dismal place.

Ryou winced as Vision-Bakura hurtled an already-bloody knife at someone's head. '_You will not be sick,' _he ordered himself. _'You will not be sick. Bakura has enough on his plate already.'_

"Come _on_!" he pleaded. "I'm not leaving without you two! So snap out of it!"

Nothing.

"Goodness," he moaned, tugging on his hair. "Why are you acting like you're two years old?"

"Mummup," Bakura muttered.

Words! Success! "What was that?" Ryou asked eagerly.

"Shut. Up."

Maybe not.

"Do you feel bad about what you've done?" Ryou asked rhetorically. That was the one thing he'd been able to discern. And it was more than a good start. It was very encouraging.

He got muttering. It was enough.

"Well," he said, smiling pleasantly. "How do you expect to make up for it… _if you sit here moping all day??_"

It wasn't quite the intimidating holler he'd envisioned. But Malik and Bakura both snapped their heads up, perhaps because it was so out-of-character.

"We _all_ make mistakes," he continued, pacing back and forth above the rolling clouds of mist and blood. "Some worse than others, I'll admit. But if you refuse to acknowledge your mistakes, you're making them worse. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. If you won't fix anything, how do you expect it to get any better?"

Malik and Bakura were staring at him sullenly.

"We all make mistakes," he repeated desperately.

"_You_ don't," Bakura said suddenly.

Ryou frowned. "What?"

"You don't."

"I don't make mistakes?" He put his hands on his hips, frowning in disapproval. "Well, that's a silly thing to say! Of _course_ I make mistakes!"

Bakura stared at him disagreeably, and he had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming next. "Name one," Bakura challenged.

"Name one- for goodness sake's-" Ryou spluttered. Then something cold touched his heart: "I wasn't strong enough," he said quietly. "If I were stronger, maybe… I could have stopped you at first."

"That's ridiculous!" Bakura snarled, rising quickly to his feet. Suddenly feeling foolish for being the only one sitting, Malik scrambled up as well.

"You can't blame _yourself_," Bakura said tightly, folding his arms defiantly. "Besides, you _did_ fight! Remember- when I was at that feast-"

"I wasn't strong enough," Ryou said miserably, hanging his head.

"Ryou- stop that right now!" Bakura commanded, striding over. "You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over!"

"Like the God Cards, that is?" he asked slyly, raising his head to reveal a mischievous spark.

Bakura stopped in his tracks, spluttering. Then he fell silent, thinking. After a while, a grin crept onto his face.

"Maybe," he acknowledged.

"But I, on the other hand," Malik said, stepping forward, "Was a pure assho-"

"You're just trying to be disagreeable," Ryou cried indignantly, folding his arms. Malik grinned.

"Yes. Yes I am," he confessed. "I wasn't even upset back there… I know I screwed up bad. But I'm okay with who I am. I'd even be okay being evil, except the pay's just not that great anymore," he said casually, stretching his arms. "Anyway… I was just kinda going with the flow. Moping alongside Bakura seemed a cool idea at the time."

Both Bakura and Ryou narrowed their eyes at him. He laughed easily and cocked a thumb. "Let's blow this joint, eh?"

And one by one, they disappeared so abruptly there was a slight 'pop'. First Ryou, then Bakura, then a laughing Malik.

xXx

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Notes: As we move closer to "Atakku," I'd re-recommend that people read "Umi". I've begun outlining "Atakku" and Mako definitely makes an appearance, along with comrades (yes, including Grandpa) that will be explained in "Umi".

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Important Note: School is going to be an absolute nightmare. To give myself time to adjust, and to give myself time to outline the next few chapters, I've put two stories on hold: Umi and Sakakku. This is _temporary _and will only last a month. I should update regularly again starting October 1.


	32. Chapter 31

Sakakku

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Notes: See, I keep my promises. :P At least 10 of them, anyway.

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Chapter 31

xXx

"Bakura," Yugi said in relief, the tomb-robber being his first sight. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"You- are?" Bakura asked uncertainly, after a brief period of staring in astonishment at a beaming and sincere Yugi.

"Yup!" Yugi giggled, pouncing on him and giving him a quick but tight hug. Then he caught sight of Ryou and bounded over to greet his friend. "_Ryou!_ And _Malik_! Are you guys okay?"

"I am now," Ryou replied softly, beginning to smile.

Bakura turned to survey the rest of the crowd there. Funny. This was the first time in a year he'd been able to think about them without wanting to kill anyone. They stared back, some with open smiles like Yugi; others looked apprehensive. Joey was staring at him with mistrust- understandable, he thought with a wry smile, seeing as he'd had the boy imprisoned for a year. Mai was giving him a thoughtful glance. Serenity was looking at him carefully, but the look in her eyes told him she was ready to accept him. Geoff was there, too, giving him an odd look. It was as if Geoff were torn between hatred and pity and relief… Oh yes. He'd killed his sister, hadn't he? Bakura winced slightly and looked away.

A ginger-haired girl, unfamiliar, was crouched on the ground, petting a jackal. He vaguely remembered seeing this jackal during the battle, but most of that time was a blur. For some reason, he locked eyes with the jackal. She cocked her head at him, seemingly staring into his soul. Sullenly, he leered back.

Suddenly, the jackal leapt forward, startling the girl. "Anuba?" she called, but the jackal kept moving. She reared up and put her paws on Bakura's shirt so suddenly that the white-haired man didn't have time to jump back. Anuba leaned forward, nuzzled Bakura's cheek with her nose, and gave him a sound lick. Then she fell back and trotted to her mistress' side, sitting patiently.

Bakura reached up to wipe off his face, but suddenly felt that it would be rude. He lowered his hand, feeling the jackal's rough tongue searing into him as if he'd been branded.

"She likes you," Ezra said in a slightly stunned tone. "I mean… she's never done that to anyone."

"Wonderful," Bakura finally grumbled, wishing he could sound more sarcastic and less mushy.

"Who's still stuck in there?" Yugi asked suddenly, worming his way to the center of the group. "Yami."

"And Seto," Ezra added.

"And Marik," Ryou and Malik spoke together.

The four of them exchanged panicked glances.

"Seto's never going to make it out," Ezra said bluntly. "He can't even come to terms with _other_ people."

"Yami has slight issues too," Yugi said worriedly, ignoring the inappropriate bout of laughter coming from Joey. Mai narrowed her eyes and elbowed him.

"We can pretty much forget about Marik," Malik muttered.

"Don't say that!" Yugi protested, his eyes widening. "We can't forget about any of them! They're our friends! We have to go back in there and help them!"

Everyone hesitated collectively, Yugi included. Then he whirled around and plunged directly into the mist.

Ezra gasped, then rose to her feet. Everyone turned to look at her as she walked toward the black mass, her legs trembling slightly.

"I wonder why it's so much worse, going in now…" she mumbled, as if to herself. Biting her lip, she took a small step forward, squeezing her eyes shut as the freezing cold stuff hit her face. When the cold passed, and a warm breeze flowed over her body, she opened them eagerly.

"What?" she gasped. She was back on the front lawn of the palace again! The wall was right in front of her! How had that happened? And where was the-

She slowly turned around and found herself staring directly at the black shadows. She jumped backward, heart pounding.

She'd passed right through the shadows. How? The others must be on the opposite side- but where was Yugi?

'_If he can do it, so can I_,' she reasoned, gritting her teeth. She clenched her teeth and passed back through the shadows.

"No!" she burst out, catching sight of the wide-eyed group. "I need to find Seto!"

"Kaiba?" Joey asked skeptically. "He's probably getting just what he deserves in there."

She shot him a pointed glare. "Which is why I need to be next to him," she declared, steeling herself. "Because he's my _friend_!" Darting into the shadows for a third time, she collided with a tall, angry-looking man.

"Yikes!" she gasped, jumping backwards. The leap somehow carried her up and away from the scene, and she got a better look at what was going on.

_A small, tired-looking boy was sleeping, sprawled out on the floor, surrounded by books and papers covered in writing. The man, broad-shouldered, with trimmed brown hair and a severe face, dressed in a red suit, towered over him._

_"Seto!" he bellowed, and the small boy jerked his head up._

Ezra's heart plummeted as she caught sight of smooth brown locks and those familiar cerulean eyes.

_"Father!" Seto gasped, hurriedly scrambling to his feet. "I'm sorry- I was just so tired! I didn't sleep last night! I did a lot of work, I promise- here, look!" He bent down to scoop up papers, but the man backhanded him as he stood up, sending Seto sprawling backwards and the papers flying._

_The boy sat up quickly, his eyes blazing- but suddenly they dimmed, and he passively bowed his head and climbed to his feet, clasping his hands behind his back. "I'll try to do better, Gozaburo," he murmured._

_"You _will_ do better," Gozaburo threatened. "And in the meantime, you'll have more work to do to make up for napping!"_

_"Yes, Father," Seto murmured again._

"Seto," Ezra said quietly, catching sight of him.

"I hate him," Seto said, his voice quivering with fury. Her breath caught in her throat. "W-what?"

"I _HATE_ that man!" Seto screamed, his voice ringing in the mist. "He made my life a living hell! He tried to separate me from Mokuba!"

She tried to say something, but he interrupted again. "The only good thing I can say about him," he breathed, clenching his fists, "Is that he opened up doors for me. He made me strong, stronger than he intended- He made me strong enough to take over KaibaCorp."

"Was it worth it?" Ezra asked, her voice sounding strained.

Seto gave her a startled look. "I would have made my way to the top anyway," he answered curtly.

"Your little brother…" she whispered.

"What about him?" Seto asked, his eyes narrowing.

_"Push me higher, Seto!" Mokuba cried, swinging his legs. Seto gave a grunt and shoved the swing harder, sending Mokuba soaring into the air, laughing with childish delight._

"That was at the orphanage," Seto explained coldly, crossing his arms, wondering why he was bothering.

"You're smiling," Ezra noted softly.

"What?"

"Look at you," she said, pointing at the vision. "You're… smiling. You don't do that much anymore."

He glowered, crossing his arms. "Smiling is a waste of time."

"A waste of time?" she asked incredulously. "Are you kidding?"

"I have everything I need," he said coldly.

She cocked her head at him in utter disbelief. "But… don't you enjoy yourself?"

"Not particularly," he said wryly. "Especially as of late. You don't expect me to, do you? Running around Egypt, trying to help out that worthless Pharaoh…"

"That doesn't mean you can't smile!" she said, her mouth dropping open. "Are you serious? If you take everything seriously, you'll die of high blood pressure before you reach twenty."

Seto glowered. Again.

_"I just wish Seto would smile more," Mokuba confessed, scuffing his shoe in the dirt._

"What?" he asked in disbelief, staring at the scene. "This isn't a memory!"

"Yes it is," Ezra said quietly.

"What??"

_"He takes everything so seriously," Mokuba said, his eyes watering. "I worry about him. How can you go through life so angry?" he asked desperately. "It's not fair- he forgot how to smile when we lived with Gozaburo. It's like the best part of Seto died."_

_Ezra reached out and ruffled his hair, her eyes sad._

_"And he's angry, and miserable, and rotten to almost everyone else," Mokuba spilled in a rush. "He has lots of friends, but he doesn't realize it! People are ready to give him a chance- and they'd see what a great guy he really is if he lets them! But he pushes everyone away! You're the first person I've seen him be nice to in three years!"_

"It _is_ a memory. It's _my_ memory."

xXx

"Hiya, Yami," Yugi said, grinning sheepishly.

"Yugi?" Yami whirled around. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think, silly?" Yugi giggled. "I came back for you."

His gaze was so open and guileless that Yami actually flinched. "Yugi…"

"This looks an awful lot like your soul room," he interrupted, gazing around.

Yami's gaze darkened slightly. "My whole life has been a puzzle," he said quietly. "I shouldn't wonder."

"Hm." Yugi cocked his head. "It's different. Everyone else had memories."

"My memories are lost to me," Yami explained quietly.

"True… but you still have memories of the last few months. Right?"

Yami shrugged hopelessly. Yugi bobbed his head around, examining the room. "Maybe we should go exploring?" he finally suggested, holding out his hand.

Yami stared, wondering, at the small hand before taking it gently. Neither of them spoke a word, but simply stepped forward, holding their breaths unconsciously. By some mental agreement, they chose a door randomly. Tugging Yami up to it, Yugi stood before it, and slowly pushed it in.

The demons attacked.

xXx

Seto was reliving his life in a blur, now. Mostly scenes with Gozaburo. Even more terrible than those, however, were flashes of Mokuba he kept getting. Somehow, cruelly, he was tapping into everyone else's memories and even the private thoughts of his little brother, talking sadly about how he missed 'the _old_ Seto'. And then it was new people- Téa, accusing him atop the roof of Duelist Kingdom; Yami, in another world and another time, telling him that he _lost the duel because of his hatred;_ Joey, sneering after him in Battle City; his employees, saying vicious things about him when he wasn't in the office; Serenity, in an alternate universe, asking him if he had any compassion; Pegasus, petulantly calling him cold-hearted. He might have been on his knees now- it was hard to be sure anymore. All he knew was that he was drowning in memories. Ezra was trying to touch his shoulder, but her fingers couldn't quite make contact.

She stretched desperately. It was so _weird_! She was standing not a foot away from him, yet the closer she extended her hand, the farther away he seemed to be. She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration. What made this all worse was that none of these images were lies. They were all true, she could tell, and they seemed to be piercing Seto's heart for the first time. He was clenching his teeth, as if in physical pain.

And then that one…

_"Bawk, bawk, bawk!"_

Ezra blinked. Rubbed her eyes. Blinked again.

_"Bawk, bawk!" Joey continued, grinning around the campfire circle. "Don't I do a great impression of Kaiba?"_

Bursting into laughter would be the _wrong_ thing to do at this time. So she kept a solemn face. Beside her, Seto's pain seemed to ease a little. Enough, at least, for him to look up and scowl. Of course.

"Hehe. I forgot I did that."

"Wheeler," Seto growled, struggling to rise to his feet. He pulled it off, amazingly. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, looking for Yami, to tell ya the truth," Joey said, grinning sheepishly. "But the Shadow-ball thing brought me here. Funny world we live in, aint it?"

Ezra watched in shock as Seto, coldly enraged, drew back his fist and swung it at Joey. Joey reflexively brought up his hand, and when their hands met a blinding light grew. Ezra instinctively threw her hand over her eyes, but nothing could drown out the faint screams and shouts now filling the air.


	33. Chapter 32

Sakakku

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Chapter 32

xXx

"_YAMI!"___

_"YAMI!__ CAN YOU HEAR ME?"_

_"IT'S ME, YUGI!"_

"Yugi?" Yami muttered groggily, forcing his eyes open. Bad idea. He squeezed them shut again. Ra, his head hurt.

"You're awake," Yugi said, his voice considerably quieter and full of relief. "What _happened?_"

What happened?

What happened…

"I forgot," Yami said in a dull voice.

"Oh. You mean you just fainted?"

_Fainted?_

"Yugi, what happened?" he asked, forcing the words through his dry throat.

"Oh. Well." He heard Yugi shift around uncomfortably. "Do you remember where we are?"

"Shadow Realm…"

"It that what this is? Oh well. Do you remember me coming in to find you? In that maze?"

He tiredly nodded his head up and down. His strength was returning. Cautiously, he cracked open his eyes. The light was blinding, but he could start to make out the blurry outline of Yugi.

"And do you remember opening the door?"

Yami paused a while. Then he tried to sit up. Yugi hesitated, like he was about to reprimand him, but bit back the words, respecting Yami's determination.

Propped securely on his elbows, Yami thought about it. "I think so."

"Well. There's not much more to say." Yugi shrugged. "We opened the door, and someone screamed. I thought it was you. It _sounded_ like you, but it was coming from inside. And then… you fainted."

"Fainted?" he asked, almost skeptically.

"Sorry." Yugi grinned sheepishly, then extended a hand. Yami grasped it, struggling to his feet. He only swayed slightly, before turning to look at the door. It was sealed shut once more.

"It was a memory," he said, biting his lip.

"A- memory? That's what we've all been seeing. I wonder why I couldn't see it too? What was it?"

"I've forgotten…" Yami said somberly. "But it was about my rule as Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt."

Yugi's face was so flabbergasted Yami almost found it comical. Almost.

"All the memories you lost… are they hidden in here?" Yugi asked dubiously, gazing around.

"One behind every door…" Yami mused, glancing around. He hadn't noticed before exactly how _many_ doors there were…

"What are you going to do?" Yugi's voice was hesitant. Yami could understand why; there must have been thousands of doors, and many more where they couldn't see. The chambers seemed to go on and on forever. Not only that- even if he did go and open every single door, to what avail? Would he just be knocked unconscious a hundred thousand times, with no recollection of the memory?

It was so frustrating. He stood quietly, gazing around.

"I have an idea!" Yugi suddenly chirped. Yami turned, trying to see what Yugi was beaming at. A staircase, nothing particularly important. It looked like any of the others.

"Come with me!" In his enthusiasm, Yugi dragged Yami forward by the arm. "I remember this now!"

"_You _remember?" He didn't understand.

"Well, sort of." Yugi giggled, then began climbing up the stairs, his short legs churning. "I was in here once before. With Shadi."

"With-" Yami began, but Yugi quickly shook his head. "It's a long story. And it happened a long time ago. But never mind, it's not important. I'll tell you someday. Just trust me for now, okay? I'm gonna take you to the Dark Magician!"

xXx

The second his hand seemed to become unglued, Seto yanked it hurriedly away from Joey.

The blonde boy was still blinking rapidly, shaking his head. Seto started to scowl, but something seemed to be wrong with his facial muscles. He closed his eyes and shifted, trying to regain his balance.

Ezra was trying to run towards him, her face twisted in irritation. "Stupid Shadow Realm!" she muttered. Running through this place was like trying to run on a hamster wheel! Her legs kept churning, but she wasn't moving.

Seto blinked. Gave her a good, long look.

And burst into laughter.

She abruptly stopped running. And, by some immensely irritating trick, she was now next to him. "Okay, what's so funny?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Seto said, chuckling. It was the weirdest thing. Joey was discreetly backing up, staring at Seto like he was about to lunge and attack. With his teeth.

"What _happened_?" she asked, directing her question towards Joey.

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Joey quoted dryly, shooting Seto a slightly scared look. "I think, when we touched- our minds went into each other."

Her eyebrows went up. And Seto laughed.

"All I know is, I went flying through his memories," Joey said, shuddering. "It wasn't all that pretty, either."

"And I got essence of Wheeler," Seto sighed, a grin still on his face. "That's just my luck, isn't it?"

They both gave him wary looks. "What you're saying is, you got some of Joey's attitude?" Ezra asked dubiously.

"Yeah. Kinda sucks, doesn't it?" he asked casually, scratching his head.

Joey and Ezra turned away in fear. "Who is that creature, and what the heck happened to Seto Kaiba?" Joey whispered.

"I really, really hope it goes away when we leave this place," she muttered back.

"Uh-oh." They both realized the imminent problem at the same time.

"How the heck are we gonna get him to come to terms with himself when he's acting like _me_?" Joey moaned.

xXx

"The Dark Magician?" Yami repeated slowly. Yugi was still dragging him through corridors.

"Okay," he said, pulling up and taking a quick gasp of air. "Come on. Into here."

Apprehensively, Yami followed Yugi into a large, cold chamber. Wonderingly, he glanced around, taking in the strange sights. "What is this place?"

"It's _your_ mind," Yugi giggled. "I was hoping _you_ could tell _me_."

Yami shook his head, gazing around. The walls were lined with huge stone tablets depicting Duel Monsters. Save for those, the room was bare. The floor was grey stone, but for one off-color tablet in the middle. Feeling a strange tug on his heartstrings, Yami advanced forward. One step… two steps…

And then the tablet glowed and his heart took a leap. A figure materialized in the air, slowly, hovering a few feet off the ground and staring imperiously at them. Yami and Yugi craned their necks backwards to stare directly into the eyes of their favorite card: The Dark Magician.

The Dark Magician paused a moment to collect himself, having newly appeared here. Then his eyes locked with Yami. Deliberately, he floated to the ground until his feet had a solid purchase. Then he knelt, shifting all his weight onto his knees, bending his head as low as possible. His purple bangs brushed the ground lightly.

Yugi drew back in awe, seeming to sense that the moment belonged to Yami and the Dark Magician. But Yami shook violently. Down the hall, four or five more of the mysterious doors banged open.

"My- friend-" Yami choked out before the world went black again.

xXx

_"You're nothing but a worthless dog," a cold Seto Kaiba taunted_.

Seto blinked. "Did I really say that?" he wondered bemusedly.

_"You are a third-rate duelist!"_

_"Just get out of my life."_

_"Drop dead."_

_"Rot in hell."_

"I'm not a very nice person, am I?" he asked thoughtfully.

Ezra and Joey exchanged glances. "He doesn't usually act like that," Joey muttered. "But neither do I."

"No… something else is going on here." She squinted at Seto. Something seemed… off.

Suddenly, she gasped, instinctively grabbing for Joey's arm. "Look! Do you see that!"

Joey gave a low whistle. "He got… younger…"

"So he's a little kid again. And he's got your 'essence' or whatever."

"But _why_?"

Cecelia appeared again. Ezra's eyes widened as she took in this new stranger. Joey sucked in a breath.

"Whoa. What are you doing back here?" he asked, before realizing how rude that sounded. "I mean… Thanks for your help last time, and all."

"Seto Kaiba has become what he most fears," she said quietly, gesturing at the boy, who was now intently studying memories of long hours at the office. ('Man, I had no life!') "Vulnerable."

"Vulnerable to physical elements, like a child…" Ezra continued slowly, starting to understand things.

"Or vulnerable to other people?" Joey asked suddenly, his eyebrows nearly shooting off his face. "He thinks I'm vulnerable because I rely on my friends."

"Yes," she nodded solemnly. "But he will _need_ his friends if he has any hope of making it out of here."

And with that ominous warning, she vanished.

xXx

"Uh-oh, not again," Yugi said, glancing at Yami worriedly. The Dark Magician quickly stood, making it over to Yami's side without seeming to move.

"Is he okay?" Yugi asked the Dark Magician anxiously. He didn't respond, and Yugi hadn't quite expected him to. But, gently, the Dark Magician shifted Yami's body so that the Pharaoh's head was supported on his armored knees.

Uneasily, Yugi shifted. He abruptly stood up and began pacing, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He wanted to stay by Yami's side, but he felt restless.

He was conscious of the Dark Magician's eyes, following him warily as he walked up and down the dimly-lit corridor, examining the Duel Monster carvings. He bypassed the Celtic Guardian, the Winged Dragon, and the Mystical Elf. A tablet at the end of the corridor was drawing his attention. For some reason, he felt the Dark Magician stiffen up as he approached it, but he ignored the duo behind him for the time: The tablet was far too intriguing.

It was yet another Duel Monster, but this one was apparently of some significance. It stood alone at the end of the narrow hallway, raised slightly. It was also cast in shadow the most, but Yugi followed the grooved lines carefully and realized what it was.

The Dark Magician Girl.

Hesitantly, he put a hand out to touch it. He glanced once over his shoulder. The Dark Magician's face had settled into a faint scowl, but he was making no move to stop Yugi. He simply put his slender fingers on Yami's shoulders, bracing his Pharaoh.

Yugi touched the tablet.

xXx

"Are you going to help or not?" Ezra challenged, putting her hands on her hips.

Joey looked decidedly grumpy. "Yeah. I'll help Kaiba. Or I'll try, anyway."

"You heard what Cecelia said," she reminded, her eyes softening. "He needs his friends."

Joey swallowed, balking at the idea of being considered Kaiba's friend. Then he happened to glance over at the boy-Seto-with-a-touch-of-Joey. He was sitting down now, looking sad as he examined the latest scene.

_"It's you and me now, Mokie," a child murmured to the shorter boy clutching his hand for dear life. "Mom and Dad are gone, but I'll be here for you forever. I'll protect you."_

_"Don't leave me," the small, dark-haired toddler pleaded, his eyes welling with tears._

_"Never," the brother promised._

"I sure miss Mokie," child-Seto proclaimed with a sniffle.

Ezra went over and sat down next to him. After a minute, Joey sunk down on Seto's other side, looking troubled. "You had it rough," the blonde said gruffly.

"Yeah," Seto admitted. "But my little brother was always there for me."

"You two helped each other out a lot," Joey said reminiscently. "I remember. You two always stuck together. Did you know Mokuba once challenged Yugi to a duel, to reclaim your honor?"

Seto turned to look at Joey, his blue eyes open and honest, wide with wonder. "He did? Really?"

"Really," Joey grinned. "He loved you so much. 'Course, I couldn't understand _why_, half the time. That kid was too smart to be following you around when you didn't give him anything back…" Ezra carefully reached around Seto's back and drove a fingernail into his arm, quite deliberately. "Ah, I mean. Yeah. You loved him too."

Seto nodded eagerly. "I sure did," he confirmed. "My little brother is the best ever!"

"I've got a little sister too," Joey said quietly. "I really care for her. Nothing can break the bond of family."

"Never," Seto said determinedly. Then his eyes opened wide.

" 'Never'," Ezra repeated. "You promised Mokuba you'd never leave him."

"You owe your little brother that," Joey said passionately, his eyes flashing. "You can't stay in here."

"No-oo…" Seto shook his head doubtfully. "I don't _want_ to. I want to get out and see Mokie. I want to see _everyone_. I want to be friends."

Joey nearly swallowed his tongue. Seeing as he was no longer capable of being diplomatic, Ezra took over. "Do you think you can get out now?"

Seto cocked his head. "I don't know how," he admitted.

"Just… think about yourself," she urged. "Think about everything that makes you who you are. And tell yourself, 'It's okay'."

Seto seemed to be deep in concentration. But as Ezra and Joey watched anxiously, he didn't dissolve and head back to the normal world. Instead, his features shifted again; his shoulders became broader and his face more severe- he was returning to his normal state. He let out a breath, and it appeared as a bluish mist; when Joey inhaled, the mist took him by surprise and returned to his body (slightly disgusting Joey).

"Wheeler?" Seto asked, that all-too-familiar scowl on his face. He shifted his gaze. "And Ezra?? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay with Mokuba!"

"Yep, Kaiba's back all right," Joey muttered, still making a face from the mist traveling down his throat. "And I can tell our challenge is just beginning."


	34. Chapter 33

Sakakku

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Notes: In case you couldn't tell from last chapter, Dark Magician Girl is one of my favorite cards. I just think she's so cool, especially after her duel with Téa in the virtual world. But someone pointed out that her voice sounded so mature compared to her looks- I completely agree. As you'll see, I characterize her as being light and bubbly- except when the Dark Magician is keeping her in line. XD Actually, in the next chapter, she borders on ditzy. But she was fun to write. By the by, I draw my characterization of her from her flashy entrances (my favorite being during Yami's duel with (Yami) Marik) and all the cute little peace signs she makes, all her mannerisms during the duels, etc.

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Chapter 33

xXx

The gloomy recess of the chamber suddenly lit up, bright as day, though Yugi couldn't tell where the light was coming from. He glanced around doubtfully. The Dark Magician's face was tightly drawn, but he was still in the same position as before- carefully supporting the unconscious Yami. His eyes were fixed on the tablet behind Yugi, and the short boy turned his attention back to it.

But it was warmer in here now. A light breeze filtered by, carrying the scent of flowers and ripe fruit. Yugi inhaled, suddenly feeling fuzzy and happy inside.

A girl giggled.

Bubbles floated through his vision, and Yugi spun around. The chamber was filled with them, and dancing red hearts bobbed here and there as well. One landed on the Dark Magician's nose and popped; he now looked more fondly exasperated and amused than annoyed.

The girl giggled again, right in Yugi's ear. He jumped, and turned around.

The Dark Magician Girl grinned cheekily at him, her wand slung casually over her shoulder. She waved her free hand, and more bubbles appeared, landing on Yugi and clinging to his hair. She put a hand to her mouth to stifle a smirk, then flicked some of them off.

Her gaze traveled the corridor until it landed on the Dark Magician and Yami. She instantly became serious, swinging her wand around and composing her face. "Sorry, Master," she murmured demurely.

Yugi's jaw dropped open, and now the Dark Magician gave her a warning look. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she theatrically clapped her hand to her mouth again.

"You can talk?" Yugi stammered. The Dark Magician heaved a sigh.

"Sorry," she apologized, removing her hand and avoiding the Dark Magician's disapproving glare. "We're not supposed to."

"But why?"

"_His_ rules…" she muttered quietly, edging unobtrusively to Yami's side. "Is the Pharaoh okay?"

The Dark Magician finally spoke. "Mana…"

"I said sorry, but there's nothing for it now, is there?" she burst out. "You might as well just tell me."

Her face turned bright red under the Dark Magician's scrutinizing stare. "He fainted," he said finally. "And you should not have come out."

"Yugi called me!" she defended, her face still pink. "And anyway, I can help! I'm a pretty good magician too, you know! You _should_ know. You taught me! Don't you trust me?"

His face was tense. "He is beyond my skill," he mumbled quietly. "He is fighting a mental battle, within himself. There is nothing I can do now but offer guidance."

"Then I'll offer guidance as well," Dark Magician Girl declared boldly, picking up Yami's hand and squeezing it. "He was _my_ Pharaoh too." She said this while looking down, and the Dark Magician sighed, moving his hand to grab her chin and force her gaze up. She squeaked in surprise, and a little fear, and finally blushed brightly again. "I'll go if you want me to, Master…" she muttered resignedly.

"I'd like it if you both stayed," Yugi ventured. They both looked over quickly; he'd been so quiet they'd forgotten he was there.

The Dark Magician sighed. "You are the Pharaoh's partner. Your will shall suffice, in his absence."

"Oh," Yugi said, a little confused. All he really understood was that this was a good thing.

He sat down tentatively next to the duo of magicians, exchanging meaningful glances.

xXx

"C'mon," Joey said, trying to joke around. "Whatever happened to wanting friends?"

Kaiba's eyes widened, then narrowed. He hastily rose to his feet, straightening the trenchcoat he'd stubbornly refused to part with. "I don't need 'friends'," he said scathingly- then abruptly caught sight of Ezra's eyes. Feeling unexpectedly ashamed, he lowered his gaze.

Joey didn't miss a beat. "Fine. But you do need us."

"_Need_?"

"Yeah." Joey rose now too; he wasn't anywhere near as tall as Kaiba but he tried to look towering anyway. "We've saved your butt more times than I can count. Yugi saved you that first time he dueled you, when he got rid of your darker half." He snorted. "Téa saved you in Duelist Kingdom, when she wouldn't let Yami attack you. He was gonna kill you, ya know." Seto's eyes narrowed further. "Then Yugi saved you again when he battled Pegasus for your soul! Man! Do you have any idea what he put on the line for you? No one thought he would. Heck, Pegasus had that stupid Eye of his and _he_ didn't expect Yugi to stick out his neck like that! And then in that crazy virtual world of yours-"

"I never asked anyone to come after me," Seto growled.

"You didn't _need_ to!" Joey snapped. "Friends don't need to be asked for favors! Friends do it anyway!"

Quiet reigned.

"And, you know, you've saved us too," Joey said quietly, forcing the words out. "I would have died in that virtual world, if it hadn't been for you and Yugi. And you- you saved us again out there, Kaiba. You saved the world. But you know what?

"You used _my_ card to do it.

"We _need_ each other! Why the heck can't you see that? It's not all about you, it's not all about me- it's about what we can do together!

"Ezra saved you. You taught her how to fight. And she used what you taught her to storm this stupid palace and got the Millennium Items to Yugi- one of which _you_ used to free Bakura! It's a circle, you see? A circle of friendship! A circle of people who depend on each other, and can do great things!

"Mokuba told me that Téa saved him. She helped him escape the Rare Hunters, all those years ago. Can you imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been free when Marik and Bakura took over the world? They would have killed him, most likely. Or they would have thrown him in prison with everyone else. And he might've died there, too. And can you imagine what that would have done to you? You probably would have been so devastated, you wouldn't have gone on to fight!

"And what's more,"

"Ah, Joey," Ezra interrupted.

"You're not gonna get out of here unless you ACCEPT that!" he bellowed.

"Joey. He's gone."

"What?" he demanded, scanning the area for the first time. How had he missed Seto go? "You mean he ran away?"

"No, I mean… he's gone." Ezra smiled. "I watched him dissolve."

"Oh." Joey was stumped. "Really?"

"Really really," she said teasingly. "Poor guy. He's been through so much stress. I think he forced himself to go, just so he wouldn't have to stay here."

Joey's eyes shifted around. "That's good, I think. But, aah… how do _we_ get out of here?"

Her brow twitched. "I… don't really know. It just sort of happened, after I watched enough of my old memories. But it's not like any are playing now."

"I got out last time when I kissed…" Joey mused.

She shot him a tolerant look. "Don't even think about it."

Joey blushed. "Naah, don't worry," he said, scratching his neck. "I wasn't."

"Let's go," Seto said, appearing suddenly between them.

"Whaa?" Joey yelped, startled.

"Seto! I thought you got out!" Ezra said worriedly.

"I did. And I talked to everyone else. We've got to go find Yami."

"We what?" Joey demanded. "Since when do you wanna help Yami?"

Seto turned a cold glance on him. "I thought _you_ were the one preaching friendship and helping each other, Wheeler," he snarled, but it lacked his usual edge. "Let's go."

"The others?" Ezra demanded as he set off into the mist, seeming to know where he was going.

"They're coming," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "If they can figure out how. As far as I can tell, they keep bouncing back and forth between sides of this bubble. They look like fools- it's amusing."

"Haha," Ezra muttered, deciding not to mention her own experience.

xXx

"I'm running off to save the Pharaoh," Bakura grumbled as he passed through the Shadows for what felt like the fiftieth time. "I'm running off to save the Pharaoh, and Seto Kaiba is doing a better job at it than me."

"Don't give up," Ryou panted, emerging in frustration next to him.

"I don't give up," he said, offended, shooting him a glare.

"Has anyone seen Serenity lately?" Mai asked, passing through the bubble, breathing heavily. Her forehead was covered in a glossy sheen of sweat.

"We look like those old arcade games," Malik grumbled, charging out of the bubble and skidding to a halt. "Poking our heads up every so often, only to find out that we've been whacked with the hammer. Then we have to do it all over again."

"How do you know about arcade games?" Mai asked curiously. "I thought you lived underground."

He gave her the hairy eyeball. "Thanks, Ms Sensitivity," he grumbled. "I didn't work _all_ the time, you know. I got a motorcycle… went shopping for a cool wardrobe… played a few games at the arcade…"

"Whatever," she sighed. "I think Serenity's in the Shadow-ball, though. I haven't seen her in a while. That's a good sign, right?"

Malik ignored her. "Yeah, the old world was pretty nice… too bad a couple of lunatics had to go and destroy it."

Bakura growled. "It was _your_ idea!" he pointed out petulantly.

"Come on, it was just a hobby for _me_," Malik scowled. "Besides, if I'd taken over the world, I would have at _least_ kept video games."

Annoyed, Bakura took a swipe at him. Malik jumped back, disappearing into the Shadows. Bakura followed heedlessly.

"Oh dear," Ryou sighed. "I'd better make sure they don't kill each other…" he cautiously entered the Shadow-ball again, but this time was different. It felt like stepping through freezing cold slush. He shivered violently, and opened his eyes to see Geoff and Joey holding Malik and Bakura apart.

"Geez, you guys, it sure took you a while to forget all those sappy lessons you learned," Joey said grouchily.

"I'm in!" Ryou announced, startling himself.

"It's about time," Mai sighed in relief as she entered. She eyed the group. "Is this everyone? Let's go!"

"What about Wheeler's sister?" Bakura asked grumpily, surveying them.

"She was halfway down that tunnel when I got here," Geoff informed them despite Joey's slight scowl, pointing at the narrow black entranceway off to his right. "She was running and shouting for Yugi."

When Bakura snickered, Joey nailed him in the shin with a swift kick. "C'mon! I bet that's the way!"

xXx

When Yami gave a violent jerk in his sleep, Yugi jumped a mile as well.

"What's going _on_ in his head?" he asked worriedly.

The Dark Magician Girl pursed her lips, but didn't say anything, instead deferring to her Master.

"If I knew, perhaps I could help," was all the Dark Magician said.

"Yugi!"

Yugi glanced up, blinking, at the figures crowding in the doorway. Seto Kaiba stood in the front, prominently, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. How unusual.

Flanking him on the right was Ezra, while Serenity peered over her shoulder. Joey, the one who shouted his name, was trying to squeeze past Kaiba on the left, while Mai, Ryou, and Geoff edged in behind him and Malik and Bakura hovered in the background, looking sheepish.

"This stupid place was flooded last I checked," Bakura grumbled, albeit quietly.

"Hey, guys!" Yugi said gladly. "How did you all make it here?"

"Friendship."

Automatically, everyone's head turned to face Seto Kaiba, the surprising declarer of that sentiment. Even the Magicians looked up. Dark Magician Girl, upon catching sight of Seto, wrinkled her nose delicately, while the Dark Magician inexplicably tensed up, shifting his body so he was in between Kaiba and Yami.

"And what a disgusting, sappy thing it is," Seto added wryly, striding forward. Joey shook the shock off and rushed up, falling to the ground in front of Yami.

"What's wrong with him?"

Kaiba tried to move in sight of Yami, too, but the Dark Magician deposited the Pharaoh's head on a surprised Dark Magician Girl's lap and stood up. Kaiba was easily the tallest human there, but the Dark Magician towered over him. Slowly, he brought up his staff and positioned it across his chest, sending across a clear message: _You stay away from him_.

Seto raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Dark Magician," he grunted. "Yami's card of choice. I always wondered about that, but I guess since the Blue Eyes belong to me, he didn't have much of an opt-"

Dark Magician Girl, scowling, had passed Yami in turn to Yugi, and stood up now, advancing right past her Master and sticking her face in Seto's own, nearly smacking him on the head with her protruding helmet. She was short, but as she walked she levitated herself in the air in order to glare directly into Seto's eyes.

"I never liked those stupid dragons of yours much, Priest," she spoke deliberately. "They were awfully arrogant."

Looking back, Yugi reflected, this was one of things they should have seen coming. They really should have.

Everyone around them sucked in a breath, mostly in surprise that the Dark Magician Girl was capable of speech. Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

And the Blue Eyes got offended.

With an ominous rumble, they disobeyed their master for the first time in history and Summoned _themselves_, the three dragons crowding everyone else to the corners of the cramped room.


	35. Chapter 34

Sakakku

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Notes: This is the last chapter. Whoa. But, no worries- the sequel is **up**! So, go have fun with that as soon as you finish this chapter! Bye!

(Chapter 29 is reuploaded with Joey and Mai's conversation accurate.)

(Oh, and be warned: the beginning is slightly insane. Can you tell I was floundering?)

x

x

x

Chapter 34

xXx

Yugi expected the worst.

A battle, maybe. A clash of the titans. The Blue Eyes White Dragons trying to fry Dark Magician Girl to a crisp, perhaps.

He _didn't_ expect Dark Magician Girl to bounce up and latch her arms around the nearest Blue Eyes' neck. He _definitely_ didn't expect her to affectionately give the dragon a hug, cooing, "I'm sorry, guys… I got carried away. You're still the best." She swung herself up and balanced on the Blue Eyes' back, while the dragons preened and arched their graceful necks. Seto wore a slightly flabbergasted look on his face, and Yugi stifled a snicker.

The Dark Magician, however, looked _most_ displeased. He shot frigid glares at the Dark Magician Girl. When she finally noticed, her face burned red again and she cringed, trying to shrink behind the Blue Eyes.

"We are getting distracted from the important matter," he finally spoke, causing everyone to gape anew. "My Pharaoh is ill."

"Is he really?" Yugi asked worriedly, any laughter he'd felt at the unusual and humorous events faded instantly.

"He is struggling," Dark Magician intoned solemnly, closing his eyes. The haggard lines of his face showed a little of the pain he was feeling for his master.

"Yami…" Yugi said, gripping his hand.

Shooting the Dark Magician a cool sneer, Seto strode around him and crouched by Yugi's side, examining Yami's face. "Looks like he's dreaming," he commented.

Everyone else rushed up. Joey accidentally knocked into Seto, nearly causing him to fall on top of Serenity and Ezra. Seto shot Joey a death glare, but the clumsy blonde didn't seem to notice.

Seto had been right; Yami's face was twitching slightly. He was muttering in a constant stream under his breath.

"What's he speaking, Greek?" Joey asked, wrinkling his brow. Mai rolled her eyes.

"I highly doubt it."

"What are you talking about, Wheeler?" Seto asked, shooting Joey a weird look. "He's muttering something about a game."

"Huh?" Joey asked blankly. "Do you speak Greek?"

"It's not Greek," Bakura finally spoke up. He was hovering on the outskirts of the group, his arms crossed defiantly. "Don't be an idiot, Wheeler."

"For once, I agree with Bakura," Seto grumbled.

"It's Egyptian."

Everyone's eyes turned to Kaiba, who looked duly horrified. "Not more fairy tales!" he groaned aloud.

"I thought you said you believed Yami was a Pharaoh," Joey said, scowling at him.

"That doesn't mean _I_ had anything to do with it," he snapped back.

"Oh, no, you can just speak Egyptian because you were _born_ that way!"

"Shut _up_!"

"Guys, Yami needs our help," Serenity begged, putting her hand on Joey's fist. "Can we stop fighting and focus on what's really important?"

"You're right," Joey said, his gaze immediately softening. On impulse, he reached over and put his hand on Yami's shoulder. One by one, everyone squeezed in and placed their fingers on Yami, whether his forehead or his shoulder or his foot (as only Malik opted to do, winking at Yugi and pretending to tickle it).

"Wake up," Serenity whispered, her voice full of emotion.

A great shadow seemed to fall over the room as the three Blue Eyes stretched to their full heights. All eyes turned to look at them, the Dark Magician tensing up again. They'd nearly forgotten the dragons were still there.

The Blue Eyes stood in a mock 'V', the largest one in the front. The dragons eyed Yami, everyone else instinctively drawing back to let them view his unconscious form. Cold blue glinted off of pure white, and suddenly the dragons seemed to be glowing.

Slowly, reverently, the lead dragon spread the large wings. The other two followed suit. Arching the long, powerful neck, the dragon bowed low, the sleek head hovering slightly above ground. The two dragons in the back bent over far, their scales scraping the stone and their eyes half-closed.

They stayed like that for a few moments of awed silence. Joey, of course, had to speak up first.

"Hm, are we switching sides here? Defecting?" he muttered, but softly. Seto's upper lip drew back in a snarl, oddly reminiscent of the dog he kept comparing Joey to.

"They're paying homage to the Pharaoh," Dark Magician Girl's soft voice said behind them. "They recognize the rightful ruler, not show disrespect to their master. There is no disloyalty among us."

"I think you've got that right," Joey mumbled, remembering how the Flame Swordsman had helped him out of that prison. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"They would follow their true master anywhere, even to death. Even into battle against the Pharaoh," Dark Magician Girl continued. "When they pay tribute Yami now, they are acknowledging that their master too has recognized Yami as the true Pharaoh."

Seto hated the way they all kept staring at him like that.

Abruptly, the Dark Magician strode forward, in front of Yami. The Blue Eyes White Dragons rose languidly, eyeing him cautiously. Dark Magician Girl winced, hoping her master wouldn't get angry with them. He'd never gotten along with the dragons.

But, unexpectedly, the Dark Magician laid down his staff. Then, in a formal gesture, he put a hand on his back and a hand on his torso, and bowed slightly.

Dark Magician Girl let out a low whistle that was quickly stifled. The Blue Eyes appeared satisfied. The one in front arched over, bringing the powerful face up close to Seto; the dragon's rough tongue licked his face (and nearly took off a layer of skin) before the three of them disappeared. Their exit was not silent, as most Duel Monsters were prone to do; this time, they crackled with white lightning. The lightning surrounded their bodies, encasing them in a snapping aura, before shrinking down to nothing.

"Intimidating dragons, they are," Mai muttered, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

Seto gingerly touched his raw face, but inside he felt pleased. "That's your cue to wake up now, _Pharaoh_," he said, glancing over at Yami.

And the Pharaoh opened his eyes.

xXx

"Can we go now?" Joey asked eagerly, bouncing up.

Yami shook his head tiredly. "No, Joey. There is one more thing we must do."

"But you said 'It's over', in that big booming voice," Joey pointed out, albeit childishly.

"For me," Yami intoned. "I shall return to the other world, none for the better or the worse. Perhaps my memories will return with time.

"But there is one more left here."

Everyone looked largely confused, until Malik cleared his throat significantly.

"Marik!" Mai exclaimed, her purple eyes widening. "He's in here too!"

"I thought he _made_ this place," Yugi said, confused.

"I think… this was more the place that made him," Yami said quietly.

"Wait a second," Malik started.

"I know what you're going to say," Yami interrupted. "Marik was of your own creation. That is true. But the Shadow Realm gave birth to all thoughts of evil- and all clouds of darkness. Both of these things are affecting your other half now."

Malik looked slightly miffed at still being 'Marik's other half', but nodded. "Because of the God Cards," he mused.

"Yes," Yami nodded. "We have to find him."

"But how?" Geoff pointed out.

"The Shadows will bring us to him," Yami said grimly. And sure enough, before the sentence was out, the world had swirled again. "This is the hour of judgement."

"It looks like a graveyard," Mai breathed ominously. Serenity shivered, and she and Yugi instinctively grabbed hands.

"There's no tombs," Joey pointed out doubtfully.

"But it has that ominous feel," Ezra agreed.

"It smells like death," Ryou said, looking inexplicably close to tears. Bakura roughly clapped a hand on his shoulder and Ryou latched onto it, looking grateful. (Bakura, on the other hand, looked horrified. Luckily, Ryou didn't see his startled expression.)

"Up there!" Malik said, pointing at the yellow sky. Everyone automatically craned their necks to see Marik, suspended above them. He was screaming soundlessly, his whole body writhing. Veins stood out on his face, neck, arms… his eyes were opened wide.

"He's in pain!" Serenity said in alarm.

"MARIK!" Yami roared. "CAN YOU HEAR ME!"

Nothing but screams.

"_MARIK_!!!!" Malik shouted desperately. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"He's hurt," Geoff said slowly, agreeing with Serenity. "He's hurt very badly."

"Mental anguish," Seto diagnosed, ignoring Joey's snort, staring at the scene.

"MARIK!!"

"It's the God Card!" Ezra said suddenly, pointing at the tiny object clutched in Marik's hands. Everyone's eyes zeroed in on it. Sure enough, he was clinging onto the Winged Dragon of Ra.

"LET GO OF IT!" Malik urged.

"DON'T BE SUCH A WIMP!" Bakura, of course. Who else?

"MARIK!" Yami suddenly commanded, and his voice boomed through the shadows. Mai involuntarily put her hands to her ears. "LISTEN TO ME- I AM YOUR PHARAOH! GET RID OF THE CARD!"

Malik was very close to snorting "Like that'll work," but withheld it just in time. Instead, he decided to test the mental bond that had been nearly severed last time Marik threw him from the corridors of his mind.

_/Listen…/_

That was all he could manage, but Marik's body suddenly stiffened.

"GET RID OF THE CARD!" Yami shouted again, and suddenly he seemed much larger than life. The Millennium Puzzle around his neck lit up with a shimmering gold. The tunic he wore seemed turned to the sacred garments of the king, fastened around his neck like a cape; and his eyes were burning crimson.

Struggling, Marik brought Ra's card up. Oblivious to the frantic cheers of those below, he grasped the opposite edges of the card and tore, as hard as he could.

The holding vessel ripped in half with a furious sound, and the world fell to pieces.

xXx

_"Can you walk?"_

Marik groggily opened his eyes to see five concerned Maliks dancing around in the air. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut again.

"We'll have to carry him," Malik decided, letting Marik's head fall to the ground.

"What do you mean we?" Bakura asked grumpily. But even as he complained, he helped Ryou hoist Marik half-on Malik's shoulders, half-on his own.

Yami, Kaiba, and Ezra were flying in circles above the city on their respective dragon-type Monsters. Joey and Yugi were making frantic dashes through on foot, accompanied by Gaia, the Fierce Knight and the Rabid Horseman (Yami and Seto had offered use of these Monsters due to their speed. Time was all-important now, and they didn't have much of it.). All were spreading the same message: "_VACATE THE CITY! RA IS COME AGAIN! GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!_"

"Are you sure you still have enough energy to Summon a Monster, Mai?" Serenity was asking worriedly as she and Geoff stood on either side of the blonde, ready to catch her if she fell.

"Of course I do," she said through gritted teeth. "Here goes nothing…

"Harpie Ladies!"

The three sisters burst out of the card in a wheel of rose petals and metal armor, thanks to the two cards Mai was holding under it. "Oooh…" she whispered, swaying. It had sapped so much of her energy, but she forced the words out of her mouth.

"There… are prisoners… in the castle. You have to fly through… open doors…"

Screeching, the three Harpies made a sharp turn in midair and sped toward the castle, swooping through the open doorway one by one. They split off, tearing down the hallway and kicking open every door they saw, shattering the stone. Behind them, confused prisoners made a mad dash for the exit. They paused only briefly to gape at the huge ball in the sky- it hovered there, enveloped in a golden glow. Underneath, a mass of solid feathers shifted, and the ball throbbed, as if preparing to be let loose. Then Serenity would urge them on with a passionate cry, and they made hastily for the wall.

The wall- it was crumbling slowly. In fact, the whole palace was breaking down. The wall was going first, coming apart in bits as the ground shook violently. Some of the fleeing people, after a year of imprisonment, were struck down by falling stone and destined never to go any further.

Rare Hunters ran heedlessly among the prisoners, past grudges forgotten in a desperate flight for survival. Those who loyally approached Marik and Bakura were given a roaring "RUN, YOU FOOLS, IF YOU WISH TO LIVE" from the latter, and that was all it took to get them to start fleeing.

In the midst of all this a jackal swiftly bypassed everyone else. She carried in her mouth the Millennium Scales and the Millennium Key. Her jaw was straining with the effort but she kept up a steady pace, getting as far away from the apparition in the sky as possible- before it was too late.

The lone person moving against the current, Odion Ishtar grimly forced his way into the palace grounds. His whole body ached from the hike over here, and the world was tilting beneath his feet, but he fought doggedly onwards. Téa was in there… as were Masters Marik and Bakura and Malik and Ryou. He had to find them. He owed them all.

But even as he raised a giant arm to shield his head from a falling piece of white marble, another section collapsed. He had time only to whirl around and stare in horror before he was buried under a pile of rubble, completely hidden from the panicked gazes of those fleeing the palace.

xXx

Téa was still determinedly pressed against the stone door. She could hear something now. Running footsteps… people screaming… and a distantly familiar screech. But what was that noise?

The ground was shaking ominously under her feet, but she ignored it, flattening her body against the stone. Something was breaking further down in the castle. And wait… it was coming closer. Closer. Closer. Right next door!

Realization came too late. Téa's blue eyes widened, and she had only started to pull away when the Harpie Lady viciously kicked in the door. She was carried with the blow, slammed against the stone wall on the opposite side. Half of the door crumbled atop of her prone body.

xXx

"Malik?" Marik moaned faintly. "Did I do something… nice? Or stupid?"

Malik huffed with the exertion of carrying the other boy. "Both, actually."

"…oh." A pause, and his head lolled. "Can you tell me what it was?"

Malik gritted his teeth, in no mood for playing games. "You tore up Ra."

"…oh."

"And it released him into the physical world."

"Crap."

"Yeah."

"Pharaoh's coming," Bakura said flatly, ignoring his turn-around use of the respectful title.

"Is this everyone?" Yami asked, landing next to Marik and looking at the last of the people leaving the city. Joey, Serenity, and Geoff were anxiously lifting an unconscious Mai into the waiting arms of the intimidating Jinzo, who cradled her carefully and took off at a swift pace through the city. Joey grasped Serenity's hand and began to follow him out.

"Impossible to tell," Bakura admitted. "There are simply too many. More are leaving by the back entrance."

"Let us hope our friends got out safely," Yami said grimly, turning his attention back to Marik. "Now! Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!"

The blue Monster appeared, crouching low on the ground. "Malik and Ryou, you should ride with him," Yami suggested. The two frightened boys nodded mutely and Bakura helped them on, handing up Marik after them.

"Don't drop him," Bakura suggested with a note of irony in his voice.

Malik nodded and clutched onto Marik's arm determinedly. Ryou gave a frightened squeak and closed his eyes as the Winged Dragon spread its wings and began to fly upward swiftly, heading out of the city for the open desert.

"We've decided to regroup in the desert," Yami informed Bakura, reaching for his deck. "Kaiba is getting Mokuba and the others."

"Here, let me," Bakura said, shaking his head and reaching for his own deck. "Gear Golem!" he commanded roughly, and a strange-looking Monster appeared. "The Moving Fortress!" Indeed, this Monster was covered in metal spikes and gears. Bakura shoved Yami onto Gear Golem's back, and climbed up himself, and unbelievably this steel beast rose into the air and started flying at high speed after Winged Dragon.

xXx

Hours later, the city lay empty. The sun had nearly gone, casting everything in shadow but for that one bright ball in the sky. Far away, thousands of eyes in the desert watched anxiously as Ra still struggled to emerge.

The lawn was littered with corpses, stone rubble, and- in the very center- a forgotten golden trinket. The Millennium Rod lay carelessly on the grass. Slowly, lazily, something shuffled up to it. This small being had been making its way slowly across the ground in search of heat ever since the temperature had begun to drop, and after the people with the trampling feet had all gone. Finding the Millennium Rod to still hold a nice, cozy glow, the grey lizard settled down atop the rounded surface, preparing to sleep for the night and perhaps find food in the morning.

And with a roar, the heavens tore open. Ra, still smoldering, set foot upon the earth for the first time in five thousand years.

x

x

FIN


End file.
